West Coast Supplier Development Programme

NATURE OF SUPPORT: Non-financial support

BENEFICIARIES:  New and existing SMMEs

DESCRIPTION:  The Department of Economic and Tourism is implementing the Supplier Development programme to develop businesses and co-operatives from the idea stage to start up and those in start-up to the growth stage in the West Coast region. The support offered will help businesses in the West Coast to take up opportunities in the value chains and those offered by corporates in Saldanha Bay and the broader West Coast region. The aim of the business development programme is to contribute to improving the low sustainability of start-up and established businesses.

The Department will contribute to its objective of ensuring an enabling environment for SMMEs to grow and develop their businesses by:

• Ensuring accessibility and providing quality business development services that are locality-driven;
• Encouraging opportunity-seeking entrepreneurs to have access to support; and
• Incubating businesses, entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to overcome the barriers to entry in their industries and reduce the failure rate of businesses.

The business will receive support in the following areas:

• Business development support to start-up and existing businesses and their services including idea generation, registration, business advice, access to technical support, incubation;
• Services include business plans, marketing assistance, legal assistance, productivity enhancement, operations management, access to finance and market linkages;
• The clustering of entities to exploit market opportunities and improve on the opportunities within value chains using co-operatives; and
• Co-operatives will be assisted through training, conflict resolution, business plan development, access to funding, and market linkages.

PARTNERSHIPS:

• Municipalities
• Corporates

CONTACT:

Ms Margot Willemse
Tel: 021 483 9427
E-mail: Margot.Willemse@westerncape.gov.za

Mr Deon Damons
Tel: 021 483 4934
E-mail: Deon.Damons@westerncape.gov.za