Co-op programme aims to empower women

The concept of strength through unity is at the heart of the Small Enterprise Development Agency's (Seda) newly formed Co-operatives and Community Public Private Partnership (CPPP) programme, which aims to ensure the growth and sustainability of co-operatives and collectively owned enterprises by facilitating public and private partnerships.

The launch of the Co-operatives and CPPP programme was held at Swartberg in the Sisonke District of KwaZulu-Natal recently.

Speaking at the event, the former Deputy Minister of Social Development, Bongi Ntuli, who was deputy minister of trade and industry at the time, said the success of the small business sector was seen as the cornerstone of economic growth in SA.

"The reality, however, is that economic freedom can only occur when people are empowered to improve their lives. For this reason, one of the most important freedoms anyone can have is the ability to maximise their skills or to give their children the chances they never had."

She said the new programme stemmed from Seda's aim to provide business support to small enterprises in South Africa, as well as its mandate of ensuring equitable access to these services.

Seda CEO Hlonela Lupuwana said at the launch that one of the aspects of the programme was support for female-driven co-operatives.

"Despite the fact that female-owned enterprises contribute an increasing share to national revenue, with approximately 70% of informal businesses in South Africa owned or controlled by women, these budding entrepreneurs are still perceived as lacking the capacity of their male equivalents.

"The mission of the Co-operatives and CPPP programme is to promote the establishment of rural and collectively owned enterprises, and ensure their growth and sustainability by facilitating public and private partnerships," said Lupuwana.

"Within this context, women remain an untapped resource and therefore represent an entrepreneurial group that is especially in need of Seda's support."

Overall, the new Co-operatives and CPPP programme aims to identify markets, resources, technical assistance and capacity-building opportunities that will enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises. This will be facilitated by promoting the use of industry tools and models that enhance efficiency, and the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of staff and projects.

The Co-ops and CPPP programme will focus on four key sectors: agro-processing; community tourism and protected areas; mining and mineral beneficiation; and trading and auxiliary enterprises. The programme is already involved in 10 projects across South Africa, in areas as diverse as Tarentaal in Limpopo, Swartberg in KwaZulu-Natal and Gonubie in the Eastern Cape.