WCG And JSE Announce Multi-Year SME Accelerator Programme
WCG And JSE Announce Multi-Year SME Accelerator Programme. The Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the largest exchange on the continent, announced a multi-year Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) development programme to stimulate the growth of the SME sector in the province.
Speaking at the launch, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, said, “It is a great plefiasure to officially launch the SME Accelerator Programme, a unique collaboration with the public and private sector, between the highly esteemed Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Western Cape Government (WCG), to ensure that a targeted 100 small and medium sized businesses have access to the expertise they need to expand and to create many more jobs in South Africa.”
The three-year programme will focus on numerous initiatives to facilitate the development and growth of SMEs in the province. The first year (2023) will focus on a ‘capital matching’ initiative where SMEs will be introduced to capital providers who are interested in funding SME businesses in their growth phases. “I am on a mission to see many more of these kinds of collaborations because I strongly believe that when we come together, we can succeed in creating a much more prosperous future full of hope, with an economy that is growing, creating jobs, and where all businesses who want to expand, are able to,” continued Minister Wenger.
Premier Alan Winde said, “Small and medium sized businesses are the heart and soul of our economy. If they succeed so too does our economy. I welcome all initiatives and measures that help SMEs realise their full potential. One such intervention is our Growth for Jobs (G4J) strategy, which maps out and drives the Western Cape’s economic growth and job creation trajectory towards a trillion-rand, jobs-rich, inclusive economy by 2035. To effectively create an enabling environment for economic growth that creates jobs, we need to take the lead and enhance the work of businesses, entrepreneurs, and informal traders.”
