08 Oct 2015

Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Advocate Sadique Kebonang has advised entrepreneurs to develop patience to power through business dynamics. Speaking during a kgotla meeting he addressed in Moshupa recently, advocate  Kebonang said patience should be there for the success of any business.

He said the government was concerned with public funds empowered entrepreneurs who venture into business hoping to make profits overnight then give up at the first signs of adversity.

Most businesses, he said, collapse even before the owners repay the loans they had sourced from the government. He decried that failure to repay hampers the government from funding other Batswana to better their lives.

The assistant minister said entrepreneurs should go into business to provide a need and a critical service rather than to make a quick buck. With patience, he said entrepreneurs would be able to roll with the punches and come up with innovative ways to stay in business and grow regardless of competition.

The assistant minister advised entrepreneurs to explore different business opportunities to diversify the economy, and to avoid competing for the same market or service. He observed that businesses usually fail as a result of the practice.

On other issues, he urged residents to take advantage of available citizen empowerment programmes to improve their lives.

He raised concern that some Batswana prefer working for someone else than creating employment for themselves.

“If you can manage business well for someone else, with government assistance you can also do the same for yourself,” he argued. He told residents that CEDA forms have been translated into Setswana in an effort to make the fund more accessible to as many Batswana as possible. He further noted that plans were underway to expedite company registration procedures in an effort to create a conducive business environment. He said entrepreneurs have to put up with a lot of bureaucracy before starting up business.

Meanwhile, the director of the Department of Cooperatives, Mr Otlhabanye Motse said the government believes that cooperatives could still benefit Batswana provided they were managed well.

He said most cooperatives have collapsed because they were either left to staff to manage or were not moving with the times. Mr Kebonang urged cooperatives to explore avenues to continue providing services in order to remain relevant.

Kanye based Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) manager, Mr Kago Ntebela informed the audience that his organisation helps Batswana to do business plans for free. He also said they assist start-up businesses with mentorship. Ends