ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MS MARIA NTULI ON THE OCASSION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE

BUSINESS PLANNER AND THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Honourable Ministers and Distinguished Guests, It gives me great pleasure to address you on what is a very important occasion for South African business owners and managers. At the dti, we are acutely aware of how important it is to foster the transfer of business skills at all levels, and to provide support for increased black participation in the economy. So it is with great pride that I am here to witness the launch of yet another two significant innovations from the NEF. The challenges we face in terms of making broad-based black economic empowerment a reality can never be underestimated, and it takes great foresight and courage to engage the task in the way the NEF is doing. As an agency of the dti, it is boldly supporting governments mandate of growing black participation in the economy, and of creating meaningful work and a sustainable livelihood for all our people. However, both government and the NEF face significant hurdles with this endeavour, not the least of which is the scarcity of skills required to grow and develop our economy. There are many factors, both historical and contemporary, that account for this, and the problem sometimes seems to be intractable. But there is no time to be wasted. This is not a deficit that can be addressed using traditional methods, and no nation is better equipped to find unique ways of overcoming it than the resourceful and creative South African nation. That is why initiatives like the NEF Business Planner and the new Mentorship Programme are so vital. Using the recent extraordinary advances in online technology, we in South Africa are in the rare position of being able to jump the skills gap in a truly revolutionary way. Through the internet, we are able to disseminate essential business information and provide online tools that are accessible, intuitive and easy to use. With these tools, and with the
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commitment of the visionaries whose goal it is to make them available to as many people as possible, there is no need for us to have so-called lost generations. Instead, we have the means to enable and empower everyone, to give every South African a meaningful role in building a new economic dispensation in our country. With this in mind, the NEF has developed the new business planner in such a way that it outshines similar online tools. Its simple ten-step process not only makes it easy to understand and to use, but educates through usage. As importantly, the planner is now available free to everyone in the country and, when used together with the telephonic support service provided by the NEF, it will enable aspirant entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into reality much more easily and efficiently. Needless to say, the process doesnt stop there, and that is where the Mentorship Programme for NEF beneficiaries comes into play. This programme, which will provide ongoing support to businesses funded by the NEF, will go a long way to ensuring their success and sustainability. As the Minister of Trade and Industry put it in his Budget speech earlier this year, despite the economic successes of the past 15 years, our efforts have not sufficiently addressed the severe structural imbalances and constraints that still impede the South African economy from developing to its full potential and from providing our people with the means to earn a sustainable livelihood. It is clear that these imbalances and constraints cannot be overcome by the market on its own, and that the state needs to play an appropriate strategic role in facilitating development. As our economy remains too dependent on mineral exports, and therefore to shifts in the external environment, governments role is to place it on a new growth path. This it intends to do in many ways, but its principal task is to facilitate greater black participation in the industrial, manufacturing and services sectors, and to empower a new generation of black business owners and entrepreneurs. The NEF is one of the principle conduits by means of which we hope to make this happen, and the dti supports and celebrates its work.

The new Business Planner and Mentorship Programme will open up new doors for so many people, and I would like to congratulate the NEF on their launch. My sincere hope is that they will enable many bright, enthusiastic and innovative black people still living on the fringes of our economy to enter into the mainstream, and to make the deep and meaningful contribution I know they are able to make. I thank you.

Ms Maria Ntuli Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Department of Trade and Industry