Aimed at enabling SMMEs to propel themselves forward, the new agency will provide financial and non-financial advise.
It has already set aside R300-million for the next three years and R60-million of this is earmarked for financial support.
The agency will take over resources from the Gauteng Manufacturing Advisory Centres as a first step in rolling-out and aims to have offices in all six of Gauteng's districts in two to three years.
The agency, under the auspices of the Department of Finance and Economic Affairs, aims to uplift SMMEs so that jobs can be created.
Introducing the agency, Finance MEC Paul Mashatile said that it forms part of government's interventions to lift people out of the second economy.
“In many parts of the world SMMEs have proved themselves to be reliable drivers of economic growth and job creation.
“Because of their size, they tend to adapt more quickly to changing market conditions and collectively they tend to absorb more labour than big business.”
Eight months of conceptualisation went into the agency that, it is hoped, will help halve unemployment by 2014.
Gauteng has the highest concentration of SMMEs and a comprehensive database of all will be put into place, which can be accessed on the Internet.
“We will use the SMME portal . . . to, among others, provide a comprehensive database of SMMEs in Gauteng and the services they provide.
“It is our expectation that this portal will be used by government, the private sector and service providers as a tool to access SMMEs and the services they provide,” said Mashatile.
Each company is being encouraged to register online as the first step.
The agency will then investigate the concern, to ensure that it is an actual enterprise.
Investigation will also determine in which areas the business requires assistance.
CEO David Morobe says that assistance in the form of, for example, business-plan creators and cash flow tools are available on the website. These tools are available only to verified companies.
But those without Internet access will be able to fill out forms with the assistance of trained GEP Partnerships with private-sector companies, such as financial institutions, will assist the agency in providing assistance such as business concepts, finance and office space.
Focus is on businesses in infrastructure and engineering, but the agency will be aiming squarely at black-owned businesses.
The Gauteng Provincial Government aims to ensure that, by 2009, between 60% and 70% of government will be done through broad-based black-economically empowered companies, with a strong bias towards SMMEs.
A call centre is already in place with ten staff members to answer enquiries.
The agency aims to have assisted 30 000 SMMEs by 2014 and the Website, www.gep.co.za, is already live.
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