BITF initiates SMME support

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 31 May 2007

The Black IT Forum has unveiled Project Tswelopele, an initiative aiming to provide support to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the ICT sector, and to encourage their sustainability.

BITF Gauteng executive Brandon Redcliffe says research has already been done to identify the key challenges SMMEs in the ICT sector face. "Many ICT SMMEs face barriers to access to funding, infrastructure and training," he says.

Tswelelopele will look for innovative ways to address these challenges, and the scope of the project will be national, Redcliffe adds.

Sustainability issues

Funding for the project will be sourced from the public and business sectors. "If we want this project to be successful, we will all have to do something to ensure it is sustainable," he says.

Companies that are serious about business will see the SMME sector as a source of new energy and market opportunities, not a threat, he adds.

Mmamathe Makhekhe-Mokhuane, chairman of the Government IT Officer's Council, says all ICT stakeholders have a vested interest in ensuring the sustainability of SMMEs.

If government CIOs fail to ensure ICT SMMEs in the region thrive, then the ICT sector has also failed, as it has the role of supporting public sector CIOs to execute their duties. "My problems are your problems," she says.

Redcliffe says stringent monitoring and evaluation processes will be put in place to further ensure the sustainability of the project. "Every so often a project is launched, and its deliverables are not measured and it falls by the wayside."

Tswelelopele will initially be piloted in Gauteng, with a national roll-out to take place soon after, Redciffe adds.