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South Africa and Zimbabwe have signed a statement of intent aimed at concretising areas that will boost the support and development of small enterprises and cooperatives in both countries.
 
The statement was signed by the Deputy Director-General for broadening participation at the Department of Trade and Industry in South Africa, Mr Sipho Zikode, and the Secretary for Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives Development in Zimbabwe, Ms Evelyn Ndlovu at a Harare hotel last night.
 
The signing, which was witnessed by the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe, and the Minister of Small Enterprise and Cooperatives in Zimbabwe, Ms Sithembiso Nyoni, was the highlight of the Harare leg of the Investment and Trade Initiative which is being led by Thabethe to Zimbabwe from Sunday to Friday.
 
According to the agreement, a team responsible for cooperative development in South Africa will visit Zimbabwe by February next year to study the setting up of a cooperative training academy in that country, explore areas of commodity exchanges and facilitate trade among cooperatives from both countries.
 
The group will also study the 1st Choice Wholesalers concept which is a franchise that seeks to facilitate relationships between small manufacturers, suppliers and the cooperatives, especially in rural areas.
 
“The two countries also agreed that South Africa will look into the possibility of sending its small enterprises or recently qualified graduates to be trained at the Indo-Zimbabwe Technology Centres by 2014, while officials responsible for enterprise and cooperatives development in Zimbabwe, and chamber representatives will study the incubation models in South Africa. Zimbabwean small enterprises will also have an opportunity to be incubated in South Africa by the end of 2013,” said Deputy Minister Thabethe, who expressed contentment that her visit bore immediate and tangible results.
 
“This shows that the two countries have a lot to learn from each other. The expected beneficiaries of these visits and interaction between governments will be businesspeople themselves. There is a lot that our countries can cooperate in for the development of our small business sector,” said Thabethe.
 
She added that the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) of SA and the Small Enterprises Development Corporation of Zimbabwe will meet soon with the aim of discussing areas of cooperation and the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding by the end of this year.