skills

Small Business Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, says black people’s businesses are the ones that are falling apart.

Addressing the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa summit on 29 October 2014, Zulu expressed concern over the statistics showing that almost 80 percent of small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) fail in their first year.

Speaking on AM Live, the minister says SMMEs need skills training and access to markets to thrive.

GE (NYSE:GE) has announced that it will invest US$2 billion in facility development, skills training, and sustainability initiatives across Africa by 2018.

GE made the announcement in advance of President Obama’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, where GE is hosting African and global government officials, policy experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), entrepreneurs and business leaders for a conference on investment, infrastructure, and innovation in Africa.

Jacob Zuma - at the Presidential Indaba on Youth Jobs and Skills - announced that the youth employment has grown and emphasises the importance of investing in the youth.

Zuma states that youth employment has vastly increased since the adoption of the Youth Employment Accord.

He adds that, "420 000 new jobs have been created… mainly in construction linked to our National Infrastructure Plan, the trade sector, government programmes, business services, transport and communication."

Zambia’s National Project for Poverty Reduction (NPPR) has signed an agreement with China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD), a Chinese NGO to sponsor about 600 youths in various skills training.
 
NPPR board chairperson, Ngosa Simbyakula, says that 600 youths are already in various trades colleges across the country pursuing training in food production, cosmetology, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and auto-mechanics.
 
Simbyakula says others were pursuing courses in power electrical, general agriculture, plumbing and metal fabrication.