04 Sep 2022

Government is committed to the development of value chain in an effort to generate jobs and increase job opportunities for self-employment.

Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Karabo Gare said this at the South East South Sub District collaborative Market Day on Friday.

Minister Gare said government was also charged with facilitating small businesses growth and development of value chains which would allow for citizen economic inclusion.

He said his ministry was mandated to provide leadership and overall policy direction, strategy and standards on business development.

“This is indeed a highly commendable initiative which has created a selling platform for Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) a majority of which were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been an increase in the number of households whose economic status took a downturn due to loss of source of income in the last couple of years,” he said.

He thus urged the business community to utilise any available partnerships which were essential for economic inclusion.

Minister Gare said the journey that many were starting through the market day initiative would eventually lead to desired destination.

“Building resilient business enterprises require making a start, growth and sustaining whatever we build on. Research has shown that most of our businesses cannot survive beyond the five years thus it is important to grow and sustain and align to our ambitions of having a strong trade sector by 2036,”he added.

He urged exhibitors to join cooperatives which offered an opportunity for financial inclusion.

He said government was willing to support and encouraged such initiatives as they offered ordinary citizens entitlement and financial access.

“We want to support market day as government and formalise it. We should sustain an efficient and effective trade ecosystem for a viable economy that we all yearn for, post COVID-19 era efforts such as market days should be supported and encouraged,” he added.

He said through the poverty eradication programme at least 761 projects were funded benefiting about 839 individuals, adding the majority of projects were farming related.

Mr Gare said through the Youth Development Fund (YDF), the sub-district had spent close to P20 million on youth to embark on various entrepreneurship ventures.

For his part, area MP, Mr Lefoko Moagi reiterated the importance of starting, growing and sustaining business ventures.

He urged youth to take up government programmes aimed at assisting them financially.

He added government continued to commit to assist citizens through funding and skills development.

Meanwhile, Mr Moagi said the dysfunctional Ramotswa show ground had to be refurbished so that exhibitors would display animal produce in an open space in the next market day. Ends