Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency

Contact Details
Tel: 012 341 1120
Fax: 012 341 1929
8th Floor
501 Prodinsa Building
Corner Beatrix and Pretorius Streets
Arcadia, Pretoria
PO Box 56714
Arcadia
0007

Email: info@ntsika.org.za
You can find Ntsika on the Internet at: http://www.ntsika.org.za

Introduction
The White Paper on National Strategy for the Development and Promotion of Small Business in South Africa states: "The stimulation of Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise (SMMEs) must be seen as a part of an integrated strategy to take the South African economy onto a higher road - one on which our economy is diversified, productivity enhanced, investment is stimulated an entrepreneurship flourishes." The small business sector however faces a large number of constraints relating to lack of access to finance markets, information, advice and training.

Accordingly, the Department of Trade and Industry in consultation with stakeholders has developed policies and institutions to address these constraints. One of these institutions is Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency which formally came into being with the passing of the National Small Business Act in 1996. Ntsika functions as an intermediary between government, the private sector and Service Providers in order to provide the necessary access to non-financial services such as training, information, appropriate technology and market information.

Mission of Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency
The mission of Ntsika is to render an efficient and effective promotion and support service to Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMMEs) through a broad range of intermediaries to contribute towards equitable economic growth in South Africa.

Vision of Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency The vision of Ntsika is to be a leading and dynamic national agency that supports and further develops a vibrant and thriving SMME sector in South Africa.

Ntsika Programme-based Divisions

MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

This division has three units:

1. Training and Capacity Building Unit
Aims to improve the training, counselling, information and management skills of SMME Service Providers. It is also tasked with developing course material to address the gaps in training provision and the evaluation of existing material. A range of training of trainers and organisational development courses are offered to SMME Service Providers, such as:

Training of Trainers Course for Business Start-Ups
Trainers from the Local Business Service Centres (LBSCs) and other Service Providers are trained on how to train potential entrepreneurs to start their own business. Information Management Course This course is provided for Information Officers from LBSCs and other Service Providers to enable them to source, store, retrieve and disseminate information to SMMEs.

Industrial Extension Course
This course is provided for industrial extension counsellors. The objective is to enhance the skills of extension officers or business counsellors to provide efficient counselling services to SMMEs in the manufacturing sector.

Small Business Counselling Course
The Small Business Counselling course is also offered to SMME Service providers to enhance the counselling skills of their business cousellors or development officers. Course for Government Employees The Unit is currently working together with the Policy and Research Division in developing a course for government employees involved in the SMME sector to increase their understanding of the sector.

2. Targeted Assistance Unit
The Unit aims to facilitate an enabling SMME environment in which new and existing projects of the youth, women, the disabled and rural entrepreneurs can flourish. In conjunction with other stakeholders in the field of development, the Unit has the following programmes in place:

Support for Youth Enterprise Initiatives

  • School Leavers Opportunity Training Programme (SLOT). The aim is to empower young people with tangible skills so that they can start their own businesses.
  • Project Grime Busters - the aim is to assist homeless urban youth, already participating in rehabilitation and re-integration programmes through the initiation of sustainable employment creation projects in the recycling sector.
Support Programmes for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
  • Innovative Business for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
  • Business Development for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
  • Business Transformation for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
Support for Women's Enterprises Initiatives
  • Product Improvement Project
  • Small Scale Industries
  • Tourism and Crafts
Support Programmes for Rural Initiatives
  • Small Scale Farming
  • Small Scale Food Processing
3. Special Projects Unit
Aims to create sustainable enterprises through quality training and support services thereby growing the economy through job creation. Providing services to SMME sector, this unit works closely with Technical Colleges, Technicians, Universities, Training boards and the private sector, The focus of the unit is to use existing and efficient services. The Unit oversees the implementation of three programmes:

Technopreneur Programme
This programme provides the potential and existing entrepreneur with access to technology and appropriate skills transfer. Within a protective environment (cocoon phase) the technopreneur programme provides the potential entrepreneur with an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a working or business environment and also facilitates the business start-up process.

Schools Programme
Working closely with the Targeted Assistance Unit, the focus of this programme is to build a culture of entrepreneurship. The objective is to initiate a paradigm shift at schools' level and to educate the youth to become masters of their own destiny.

University Programme
This programme aims to support the SMME sector by

  • Capacity building of trainers
  • Managing of existing and potential entrepreneurs
  • Applied research on economic development
  • Development of training material
  • Counselling of small businesses
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION
This division's task is to create a network of Service Providers at local, provincial and national levels. The key programme run by the division is the Local Business Service Centre (LBSC) Programme. LBSCs are accredited Service Providers to SMMEs to ensure that such businesses are managed efficiently and profitably. The division assists in providing LBSCs with capacity to deliver non-financial services to the SMMEs. Currently there are 26 accredited LBSCs.

Services offered by LBSCs include:

  • Training
  • Counselling
  • Information
  • Referral
The division is presently reviewing the LBSC Accreditation process to assess the strengths and weaknesses thereof. Upon completion of this process, a new round of accreditation will resume. (for more information visit Business Development Services at Ntsika's site..

While the accreditation process is on hold, an interim programme was implemented to provide short-term funding support to Service Providers that have applied for accreditation and qualify for such support. Forty organisations were funded under this Service Providers Interim Grant (SPIG) Facility.

MARKETING AND BUSINESS LINKAGES DIVISION
Small enterprises regard market constraints and the inability to sell their products and services as one of the most serious obstacles. The Marketing and Business Linkages (MBL) Division's task is to facilitate the increase and expansion of markets nationally and internationally, for SMME goods and services through business linkages.

Areas of focus of this division are:

National Linkages
To facilitate increased participation of SMMEs in tendering for public sector and private sector contracts. Through the Governmental Procurement Programme, entrepreneurs are helped to identify opportunities in the public sector. Tender Advice Centres (TACs) mainly deliver this function. Tender Advice Centre is a service working with the LBSC network.

This service includes:

  • General awareness on government tender procedures
  • Information on available tenders
  • Assistance in completing the tender documents
  • Training of SMMEs
Eleven Tender Advice Centres have been established mainly to help entrepreneurs access markets for their goods and services. Other support programmes such as Supplier Development and Product Improvement have been designed to improve competitiveness of SMME goods and services.

International Linkages
Focus is on market development and product improvement for SMME goods to be internationally competitive. The above objectives are mainly facilitated through exhibitions nationally and internationally.

POLICY, RESEARCH AND INFORMATION DIVISION
The division aims to support policy formulation, programme design and implementation. It performs the following activities:

  • Gather and analyse data on SMMEs to establish trends by size-class, sector, region, and population group
  • Fund, perform or contract out research and subsequently develop policy proposals or design interventions
  • Interact with other institutions through joint research and by collating research studies and statistics
  • Publish reports, organise seminars and workshops and compile the Annual Review
Key programmes of the division are:
  • National Small Business Data Programme: collection and processing of data to quantify the impact of the National Strategy and to establish decision support groups
  • National Small Business Research Programme: co-ordination and funding of research relevant for the implementation of the National Strategy
  • National Small Business Regulatory Review: an investigation together with the Department of Trade and Industry of the effect of existing and proposed legislation and regulations in order to create and maintain an enabling environment
  • Manufacturing Advisory Centre Programme: a partnership between Ntsika, the CSIR and the NPI aimed at establishing advisory centres to assist SMME manufacturers to improve their competitiveness.
Source: A Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency publication

 

 
 

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