Enterprise Development is more than building businesses – is about unlocking potential, creating opportunities and driving inclusive growth.
– LV Mphadzha | Director
Enterprise Development is more than building businesses – is about unlocking potential, creating opportunities and driving inclusive growth..
– LV Mphadzha | Director
Business Development
Small businesses are the life-blood of any community, but many often fail. The reasons for this are many and complex, but often centre around a lack of knowledge of business planning and processes. This is why the Palabora Foundation has chosen business and enterprise development as a focus area.
Business Development At A Glance
We all know that small businesses are the life-blood of any community. Small businesses often fail though. The reasons for these are many and complex, but often centre round lack of knowledge of business planning and processes. That’s why the Palabora Foundation has chosen enterprise and supplier development as a focus area.
A
ccording to the South African Local Enterprise Development Network, creating a job in a small firm costs less than it does in a big company because large businesses are generally more capital intensive? Small businesses thus play a key role in providing new employment opportunities and in contributing to the growth of the national economy.
Our Business Development Centre is making entrepreneurs more competitive. Our Socio Economic Development Programme is helping corporates and contractors to address community needs as part of their social responsibility. Our support for an early childhood development centre is a fantastic example of a social entrepreneurship project that fills a community need, while creating jobs. The Namakgale roads rehabilitation project is another successful project in this unit that is benefiting 1000 households!
Impact of programmes on local communities
Working with local businesses, contractors and corporates, we are:
- Creating successful entrepreneurs.
- Creating new jobs.
- Contributing to the local economy.
- Supporting government’s job creation drive.
Developing Enterprises and Suppliers
The impact of developing small businesses is recognized in South Africa’s National Development plan as a way to fight inequality, poverty and unemployment in the country. In Ba-Phalaborwa specifically, while the mines are the main employers, there is an excess of individuals that cannot be absorbed by the industry.
We support entrepreneurs to profitably run small-scale businesses through training, mentorship and access to business tools. We also train beneficiaries from our skills development Centre, who aspire to become entrepreneurs. We expose them to new venture training which address the soft skills of running a business.
Our Supplier Development Programme entails capacity building, compliance support and market access.
Questions And Answers
How are these projects identified and by whom?
- Normally selecting is done by the donor/sponsor.
How does funding work?
- These projects are selected with sponsor/donor as a client.
- The Foundation’s role is as an implementer/developmental partner on behalf of a sponsor.
Business Development Centre (BDC)
The Palabora Foundation’s Business Development Centre is a one-stop shop for local businesses to access business-related information and business development support. It was launched in 2014. It supports small business development of start-ups and existing businesses that lack business knowledge, skills, information, access to internet facilities and which struggle with compliance issues.
Our business hub creates a centralised access point for sharing available business opportunities within the Ba-Phalaborwa area. The business hub works with government on initiatives to support and develop small businesses.
What’s more, businesses use the centre’s internet facilities to access opportunities from the mines. Some of the businesses secure orders and contracts through the use of the business hub – an achievement we’re very proud of!
We are currently laying the foundation for a transformative programme designed to uplift emerging businesses and strengthen inclusive supply chain. Our vision is to create meaningful partnership that drives sustainable growth, innovation and economic empowerment.
Stay tuned as we build a platform that support entrepreneur, nurture supplier capabilities and unlocks opportunities for shared success.
We believe in impowering entrepreneurs to become catalysts for change in their communities.
LV Mphadzha | Director
Where To Find Us
Walk-in Centre for Small Businesses
Corner Calvin Ngobeni and Tambo Streets
Namakgale, 1391
Limpopo, South Africa