THE ICT CHARTER

5.6. Enterprise Development
Overview
Despite its potential, South Africa lags developing nations such as
India, Taiwan and China in establishing a viable entrepreneurial base
in the ICT sector. The ICT sector contributes less than ten percent to
the GDP of South Africa, a far cry compared to the leading developing
nations. This is largely due to the fact that South Africa is a consumer,
rather than a developer or manufacturer, of ICT products and services.
As a result, South Africa enjoys a relatively small share of the global
opportunities in the sector.
Only about 10% of companies in the sector can be classified as having
any empowerment credentials. A recent study has shown that many of
the black SMMEs in the ICT sector may not be able to sustain their
operations in the long-term due to structural and other deficiencies.
An entrepreneurial focus is key to the success of any BEE strategy and
it logically follows that all efforts must be made to foster and
encourage the development of an entrepreneurial society. A new
entrepreneurial class will ultimately create jobs for their families and
communities that will further positively impact on socio-economic
development and growth.
The creation of sustainable SMME enterprises has succeeded in
creating a new group of black business leaders. The model, where
ownership and control is combined with entrepreneurial skills training,
resulted in the creation of sustainable business enterprises. This
resulted in job creation in some of the most under-serviced
communities in South Africa.
A general point of departure for the good of the whole of the economy
is the support of entrepreneurial education in schools and the
establishment of focused entrepreneurial courses and undergraduate
and post-graduate research at tertiary institutions. This entrepreneurial
focus and support encompasses a joint partnership approach by all
stakeholders, including government, civil society and industry.
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