27 Oct 2013

Ghanzi District commissioner, Mr Andina Dintwa says Small Medium Micro Entrepreneurs (SMMEs) play a pivotal role in the economy of the country.

Officiating during the third Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) market day recently, Mr Dintwa said SMMEs did not only contribute to the development of the community through creation of employment and wealth in the district, but also enhanced contribution of the district to the national economic growth and diversification efforts.

Therefore, he implored the SMMEs to up the standard of their goods for the consumers. “In today’s environment where the consumers are sophisticated and there are too many goods to choose from, the SMMEs need to rise to the occasion and strive towards producing quality products in agreement with the buyers’ appetite,” cautioned Mr Dintwa.

He also advised them to create and manage their reputation in order to be unique from their competitors. He also encouraged SMMEs to team up and grow together to avoid failure to deliver on tenders awarded to them.

Mr Dintwa stated that at the moment most businesses have a bad reputation of failing to deliver consistent quality goods and services in the right quantities after a tender award.

He warned them of the implications of such acts, that if they refrain from blundering then they will also reduce incidences of being blacklisted from accessing tenders from government and other large institutions.

For his part, LEA market access specialist Mr Goitsemodimo Moffat urged the SMMEs to link with potential buyers. He said buyers need not necessarily buy immediately but sometime take time to buy. 

Mr Moffat also encouraged the business owners to take note of packaging and branding of their products as it is an important part. He encouraged them to also network amongst themselves to improve the consistency of the products as that will also help in the demand of the market.

LEA market day seeks to showcase and create awareness of the goods and services offered by LEA clients. The event also gives SMMEs an opportunity to interact with institutions whose mandates are relevant to SMMEs development, which then will afford them information necessary for the growth of their businesses. ENDS