Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) has partnered with Walter Sisulu University (WSU) to launch the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubator (CfERI) to assist students, alumni and community to develop sustainable businesses.
CfERI is a new phenomenon in scholarship and student development in South African universities and colleges that aims to identify and nurture entrepreneurial culture and ability.
The idea of establishing a CfERI at WSU started in 2019 when SEDA launched a call for proposal for all universities in South Africa to apply.
Centre Manager and Researcher, Dr Thobekani Lose, said: “The programme seeks to accelerate the growth and success of entrepreneurial enterprises and motivating for a culture of entrepreneurship among student graduates, youth, alumni’s and shifting the minds of the youth and graduates to embrace venture creation through the development of Business Concept and Product Design, Organisation development, Business Operations, Customer relations and Business Plan.”
He further emphasized that in the past few years they have seen the unemployment rate increase from 25% to 30% and that this alarming increase called for an emergency to promote entrepreneurship among youth.
“We want to nurture entrepreneurial culture and ability among students and the university to be entrepreneurial. All our WSU departments must introduce entrepreneurship subject to students, encourage job creators instead of job seekers,” said Lose.
The Centre has just finished its refurbishment and is now busy with the installation of a Wi-Fi network. The marketing and awareness of the centre commenced when the university joined the Student Entrepreneurship Week 2020 (#SEW2020)
“Prospective clients should apply online and submit a form indicating their status of the business or business idea, after, the clients will be interviewed to be on our incubation programme,” added Lose.
The centre is under the Faculty of Commerce and Administration at the Zamukulungisa site, Mthatha campus.
-By Anita Roji