CCBSA supports young entrepreneurs to succeed

In 2015, CCBSA in partnership with the Free State Government and Sefa piloted Bizniz in A Box initiative in Matjhabeng municipality where 22 young people benefited. The Bizniz in A Box initiative is part of CCBSA’s projects aimed towards youth education and entrepreneurship through the CCBSA’s Youth Entrepreneurship Programme. Since the inception of the programme, most young people have moved on to other opportunities and only 7 remain. CCBSA continues to support these young people and in 2019, in partnership with University of the Free State, we continue to provide support through refresher training courses to sharpen their business savvy skills and mentorship. Through this initiative, opportunities were identified in which these young people can grow their businesses, expand their offering and increase their revenue. The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately had a negative on the economy and mostly on the young entrepreneurs who are in business trying to make ends meet.

“The pandemic has had a devastating and far reaching negative effect on the South African economy,” says Nozicelo Ngcobo, Public Affairs, Communication & Sustainability Director, CCBSA. “The impact will likely be more severe as in many other developing economies, as the country was already in a recession and saw its highest unemployment levels in almost 20 years.” Youth unemployment is particularly high, and this is the segment most affected by joblessness, with two-thirds of 15 to 34-year-old South Africans being unemployed.

CCBSA has worked hand in hand with the University of Free State to empower these seven young entrepreneurs who have in turn created 14 additional jobs, and with continued support, we hope to see more growth and success from this group. This equipment handover included deep fryers and ice cream machines to allow them to diversify and grow their businesses even further. We wish these youths well on their entrepreneurial journey to self-reliance and even more product sales!

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