Enterprise Development

TGC have implemented a number of Enterprise Development and Rural Development solutions and programmes throughout the SADC Region. TGC helps small businesses to achieve their goals in terms of starting up, sustainability and growth. Small businesses are critical for improving living standards, developing the economy and maximising job creation opportunities especially for women and youth.

Forestry toolkit for rural SMMEs - Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)

TGC was contracted to provide a SMME Guidelines to assist SMMEs, in the forestry sector, to grow and sustain their businesses.

Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) Botswana. The Handbook of Services

The Guild and SBDA were tasked with creating a LEA Handbook of Services and Training. This Handbook, would contain all relevant information picked up from the scope...

SADC SMME Toolkit

TGS is also in partnerships with various business chambers in southern Africa, as well as SADC itself. This has entailed developing an SMME Toolkit into specific countries, adapting and translating to local environments...

Forestry toolkit for rural SMMEs - Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)

Project Duration:

Project Benefits:

Reference

Mr. Netshivhumbe

A.E Deputy Director: Forest Enterprise Development (DAFF)Tel: +27 12 309 5784

Email: ElvisNe@daff.gov.za

TGC was contracted to provide a SMME Guidelines to assist SMMEs, in the forestry sector, to grow and sustain their businesses. (SMME Guidelines)

The scope of the project consisted of:

• Develop and distribute a comprehensive and easy to understand set of Guidelines that empowers SMMEs within all aspects of business, sustainability and growth pertinent to certain DAFF sectors

• Provide training and training methodology to Forestry Officials, that will compliment the SMME Guidelines and add value to various sectors such as charcoal, honey, growers and saw milling

Basic methodology

TGC analysed the materials provided and developed an instructional design for the communication of a vision for the effective performance of SMMEs, TGC did this with a desktop survey, site visits and interactions with sector experts.

Training included:

Facilitation of training workshops in Pietermaritzburg, for 30 DAFF Forestry Officials. At the training workshop, TGC showcased developed materials and presentations, that accurately detailed the content / look and feel of the DAFF Toolkit. With that TGC presented the type of guideline / workbook materials and training methodology, that should be implemented, with that TGC also build in a slant that is aimed at:

- Beekeeping

- Tree Growers

- Charcoal

- Saw milling NB: TGC translated this project into 4 indigenous languages (Zulu, Venda, Xhosa and Sepedi.

Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) Botswana. The Handbook of Services

Project Duration:

Project Benefits:

Reference

The Guild and SBDA were tasked with creating a LEA Handbook of Services and Training. This Handbook, would contain all relevant information picked up from the scope, existing materials and the consultative process, so in other words a flagship Handbook, that contains everything for LEA client facing staff . From this it can be unpacked and used in other educational and marketing LEA collateral.

Objectives of the project

1. To create a Handbook and training thereof, to allow the LEA champions to enthusiastically and competently coach/mentor clients

• The Handbook to be user friendly, accessible and engaging to help champions access the information that they require easily

• The training will specifically be focused on enthusiastic delivery of the message to end users and clients – how an entrepreneurial message can be delivered effectively and passionately, as well as being able to understand potential and existing SMMEs

2. Develop a culture of entrepreneurial learning

• Entrepreneurial learning is a unique culture, which is exciting, fast paced and ground breaking, trying to embed a culture within LEAto be more entrepreneurial (thinking like an entrepreneur)3. Empower LEA champions to make decisions (staff facing)

• Due to the current processes and procedures, sometimes decision making can be difficult. This point goes back to the entrepreneurial culture, which allows people to make decisions and embrace a spirit of entrepreneurship, let's cut the red tape and have less bureaucracy?

4. Advise on relevant and effective assessment tools

• The screening tools don’t seem to be as effective as they could be in ensuring that LEA processes the right calibre of entrepreneurs that will be successful. The consultancy has advised on potential enhancements or changes, and have added in content into theHandbook that could help in ensuring the right entrepreneurs are processed and move onto the next level – we still believe the screening process needs to be more stringent?

5. Enable service delivery to be standardised• From the original ToR, service delivery seems to be different in the various regions. The Handbook aims to standardise the service delivery across the different branches.

6. To fully understand the end user/s (the various categories)

• In order to ascertain the reasons behind in-activity and potential lack of commitment from clients, it is our opinion that the data and the clients need to be fully understood.

7. To encourage LEA clients to less be needy

• We have noticed in our site visits that some BA’s spend a tremendous amount of time with clients, even doing mundane activities that the client (the entrepreneur) should be doing as a matter of course, The Handbook and training intends to lesson this dependency and make clients more reliant, as true entrepreneurs should be.