SEDA Educates Ekurhuleni Entrepreneurs on Access to Funding

The Small Enterprise Development Agency is an agency of the Department of Small Business Development that is mandated to implement government’s small business strategy; design and implement a standard and common national delivery network for small enterprise development; and integrate government-funded small enterprise support agencies across all tiers of government.

Their mission is to develop, support and promote small enterprises throughout the country, ensuring their growth and sustainability in co–ordination and partnership with various role players, including global partners, who make international best practices available to local entrepreneurs.

“We have established a number of support programmes aiming to develop local entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and become competitive. We provide financial and non-financial support to enterprises that comply with our list of requirements. We are currently on a road show to educate the business community of Ekurhuleni about SEDA and what it offers for their business enterprises, said Simon Shiya from the Department of Small Business Development.

“Our support programme aims to formalize informal businesses to micro enterprises; facilitate the banking of the unbanked; realize the potential for spaza shops to serve as market for locally manufactured goods; through an inclusion of products manufactured by SMME.

“We want to facilitate support programmes that will make spaza shops profitable and successful and make them to be intermediary step to the formal economy.

“Our programme also support bakeries and confectioneries; motor mechanics and spray painters; clothing, leather and textile; butcheries; shisanyama and cooked food; fruit and vegetables and personal care services.

For more information go to www.dsbd.gov.za or www.sefa.org.za or www.seda.org.za

Seda was established in December 2004, through the National Small Business Amendment Act, Act 29 of 2004.