Twenty-six-year-old Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, chairman of Krazyboyz Digital, top ICT individual in Africa 2008 and ICT personality finalist 2009, launched a first ever for South Africa, a Christian entrepreneurship school in the township last year.
Now the Mkhwanazi Academy for Christian Entrepreneurship (MACE) is launching the Entrepreneurship Growth Conference (EGC) 2010 on 20 February.
Mkhwanazi says ECG 2010 aims to focus on growing local businesses with a special focus on township-based businesses through the sharing of successful entrepreneurs' stories and their strategies for success. The conference fee for each delegate is R60 after 15 January 2010, and can be done online.
Confirmed speakers for the conference taking place at the MACE headquarters, in Vosloorus, include entrepreneurs such as Andile Mazwai, Chief Executive Officer of Barnard Jacob Mellet Holdings; Ayanda Mbanga, Managing Director of Ayanda Mbanga Communications; and 2008 Business Women of the Year Award finalist Andile Lungisa, Chairperson of NYDA; and Hamilton Ratshefola, CEO of IT company Cornastone Consulting, and many more.
Mr Tim Modise, who will also be a speaker, has become a patron of MACE alongside DJ Sbu.
Points of discussion at the conference:
* How can small businesses and or entrepreneurs take advantage of the South African economy, which has been on a steady growth path since democracy?
* How to market in the townships
* Business growth opportunities in the townships
* How to grow your business beyond the township
* How to make sure your business stays in business
Mkhwanazi says the importance of the conference is: “Finding ways for the creation of new sustainable entrepreneurs in South Africa townships and finding mechanisms to support existing businesses to grow their businesses and become more competitive, so they can expand to do business beyond the township, and creating awareness about MACE, the progress of the institution in creating ethical entrepreneurs and the impact on the community and registration.”
The Mkhwanazi Academy for Christian Entrepreneurship (MACE) is a non-profit institution based in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni and aims to attract youths from ages 18 to 35 years of age. The fees range from R300 to R1 500 for a six-month course, in starting a business. All proceeds of the conference will be contributed towards student fees to ensure that the academy can enrol more students in 2010.
MACE has a total of 30 students to date and has attracted students from disadvantaged to more affluent backgrounds from four provinces. The academy is in the process of producing 14 new entrepreneurs who have completed their own business plans and are now in the funding process.
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