Pretoria - In a bid to fight the scourge of poverty and reduce unemployment, the City of Tshwane recently launched an initiative called Tshwane virtual entrepreneurship academy to assist people aspiring to venture into business.
Launched in collaboration with StartUp Tribe, the initiative would provide free world-class courses through a virtual platform, mainly targeting young entrepreneurs, aspirant entrepreneurs and retrenched workers.
MMC for economic development and spatial planning, Hannes Coetzee, said through the academy experts and seasoned business owners would share their knowledge and experience with developing and start-up businesses and provide training material.
The academy, which went live on April 14, aims to provide courses on how to start a business, find clients and grow one’s business.
Other tuition would be about how to start a farming business, lower costs and increase profits as well as demystifying digital tools.
Coetzee said: “Considering the current high unemployment rate in the country, particularly among young people, the Tshwane Virtual Entrepreneurship Academy is a great empowerment opportunity.”
He encouraged youngsters interested in starting their own businesses or growing them, to take advantage of the programme by enrolling in one of the courses.
“With just a smartphone and an internet connection, you may sign up and study at no cost from the convenience of your home,” he said.
People can visit https://www.thestartuptribe.org/pages/tshwane for more information on the academy or to enrol for the free online courses.
Coetzee hailed another initiative, the cellphone repair programme, launched by the Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Tasneem Motara, in Akasia.
He said: “The overall objective of this initiative is to empower the youth to take advantage of opportunities presented by the digital economy for them to explore being employed or being self-employed and to transform the sector which is currently dominated by foreign nationals.”
He expressed support for the programme, saying it would aid in reducing the high unemployment rate prevalent in the municipality.
“As part of our contribution, the City is expected to assist the beneficiaries with formalisation through zoning, operating permits and space in their respective localities in Tshwane, including the provision of business development support services through our strategic partnership with the Small Enterprise Development Agency,” he said.
Pretoria News