Small Business Development Minister Linidiwe Zulu says government wants to create an enabling environment for small businesses.
Zulu was speaking during the opening of the BRICS roundtable discussion in Johannesburg.
The National Development Plan (NDP) aims to create 11-million jobs and grow the economy by 5 percent.
Currently, the economy is forecast to grow by 1,2% and unemployment is at 26%.
According to the NDP, small and medium enterprises will create 90% of the jobs needed in the country.
Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, says small business is big business. She says small businesses have been the back-bone of developed nations in the G20.
“From a BRICS perspective, there has to be an understanding that SMME are the future to address poverty…”
Zulu says the tenth anniversary of the BRICS partnership is an opportunity to review the opportunities provided by the member states. She added that the BRICS partnership gave entrepreneurs access to markets outside of the country.
Young entrepreneurs like Thula Zondi say their biggest challenge is getting access to the market.
“I know to many young people it’s mainly about access – even for China, Russia, India and Brazil we are not getting access to those.”
Zulu says small and medium enterprises need to grow and form part of the mainstream economy.
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