SEDCO REACHES OUT
SEDCO will be reaching out to the people of
Siphofaneni in the Lubombo region on Saturday 21 July 2007.Siphofaneni is
an area hard hit by poverty and is highly affected by the HIV/AIDS
scourge. There are a lot of child headed households as a result of the
disease; this coupled with the high unemployment rate makes poverty is
rife.SEDCO as a result is in the process of empowering these people with
opportunities to make a living for themselves by bringing herself to them.
SEDCO is in the bid for the people to start their own businesses and in
the process create jobs for themselves.Siphofaneni people although hard
hit by the prevailing drought in the country, are farmers. They are mostly
into the sugar and sugar cane industry. SEDCO will assist them by giving
valuable business advice for free!SEDCO will also assist them by providing
a package of assistance from project pre start up to growth.
SEDCO takes the SMMEs Global
The small,
micro and medium enterprises counts for a very large part of the
economy of Swaziland. An initiative by government to assist such an
important and vital sector of the economy was to establish the Small
Enterprises Development Company in 1970.
SEDCO is doing
everything that can be done to Globalize the SMME sector.
Although the SMME's in
Swaziland have been somewhat cushioned against the impact of the world
trade liberalization, it is a fact that can not be denied that in future
there will come a point where protection will cease and Swazi SMMEs will
have to enter into competition with other world countries like the eastern
developing powers.
Studies have shown that
there is a need to increase Swaziland’s export industry and trade by
product volume and by monetary value.
SEDCO therefore is
making sure that the SMME sector accesses necessary information on
production inputs and promoting new and existing exports.
SEDCO has created a new
research and development unit that will assist all Swazi entrepreneurs to
get hold of all information necessary for their business development.
There is a resource and library center open to every one that needs to use
it.
Website
SEDCO also provides a
small business website to assist in accessing information technology for
the small and medium enterprises and also to encourage the small business
community’s participation in the regional economy.SEDCO
is currently working on globalizing the SMME sector. Several programs
exist for encouraging such an exercise. For instance, the assistance of
small business owners to attend regional and international trade fairs.
Opportunities
More is being done by
the organization to seek help for Swazi entrepreneurs and to find
information on external markets through the establishment of linkages and
working relationships with other organizations or potential assistance
bodies regionally and internationally. For example the linkages with
companies in Lesotho, South Africa regionally and now are going
international.
SEDCO is committed to,
and is identifying opportunities that can be entered and exploited by
Swazi SME's. Under review at the moment is the Trade directory of
Indigenous Products. This seeks to avail export opportunities of natural
and indigenous agricultural products and to utilize the AGOA provisions to
create business for Swazis.
SEDCO empowers Manzini Street Vendors
The Manzini street Vendors were this week trained by
SEDCO on the courses of business failure.
Since the micro, small and medium Enterprises
account for approximately 80% of the Swazi economy, SEDCO has seen it fit
to equip the small business people with knowledge and skill to avoid the
failure of their businesses thus impacting negatively on the growth of the
country’s economy.
The course was facilitated by Oscar Maphalala at
Caritas Manzini on Wednesday. SEDCO managing Director, Drrington Matiwane
speaking to the facilitators said that it was important for the micro
business people to be given insight on issues such as what to look for to
avoid business failure.
It is estimated that 78% of all small business
start ups fail within the first twelve months and long term survival is
likely for only 22% of all new business start ups.
“If huge corporations with seemingly vibrant trade
suddenly close their doors, small businesses are many times likely to
suffer that fate. As SEDCO our mandate is to develop the small business
person at grass root level. We have to make sure that we assist small
business people to cross such bridges to overcome their weaknesses,” he
said..
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