NMB Pumps R12m Into Getting Small Businesses Online

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is allocating R12 million over three years to get the metro’s small businesses online.

The metro has partnered with the Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA), and the money will be used to up-skill small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) owners in digital skills, innovation and enterprise support.

The partnership was announced on Thursday when councillor Bassie Kamana, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, launched a support center that will help business owners with digital skills, web development and entrepreneurship. “As the world develops, we do not want our people to be left behind,” he said, adding that upskilling SMMEs and entrenching their digital presence had become critical.

What the money buys

PAICTA, which the Municipality describes as a United Nations-accredited artificial intelligence organisation, partners with municipalities and other public sector entities from across Africa on digital transformation, research and skills development.

Its focus is on supporting informal traders such as spaza shop owners and giving young people the much-needed AI skills.

Executive Mayor Councillor Babalwa Lobishe said SMME, and local economic development support is the foundation of the city’s economic development strategy. Job creation depends on it, she argued, because these are the sectors employing the most people which is why the Municipality is putting money into digital upskilling and entrepreneurial support.

The partnership will carry a particular focus on young people. That emphasis lands in a province where youth unemployment remains among the most stubborn in the country, and where a digital skill is one of the few assets a young entrepreneur can acquire without capital.