The Information Technology Association (ITA) launched its SME development programme "Phakisa" - meaning to accelerate - this morning.
The programme forms part of the Accelerated and Share Growth Initiative of SA and will target ICT SMEs specifically.
Speaking at the event, Business Unity SA CEO Jerry Vilakazi said the impact of turbulent market conditions is felt especially by SMEs. "The ICT sector is a critical sector. Apart from international uncertainty about a possible recession, the power outages in SA will impact on job creation."
According to Vilakazi, "future jobs are going to come from SMEs". The Phakisa programme will focus on mentorship, networking, training, technical support, consultancy and recognition for SMEs. This will be delivered by established industry players like Axiz, IBM SA, SAP and Torque IT, as well as the Department of Trade and Industry and the ISETT SETA.
Some of the strategic aims of Phakisa include improving the profitability and competitiveness of ICT SMEs, as well as their management capacity.
Keith Anderson, president of the ITA and COO of Axiz, said technical support and consultancy services are especially important in this regard. "This has been the weak link so far."
He explained that established players would be able to write off the time and money spent on this against their scorecard requirements for enterprise development. In addition, he maintains the ITA can specifically add value to SMEs as far as networking is concerned.
"SMEs will be encouraged to actively participate in the various networking events, industry initiatives and special interest groups run by the ITA, where they will be afforded the opportunity to forge new business relations."
The ITA and its partners plan to meet on a quarterly basis to assess the effectiveness of Phakisa.
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