With Africa’s commercial profile firmly in the minds of international business leaders following the success of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted in Kenya last week, it has been announced that South Africa will host the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in 2017, the first time the event is taking place in Africa.
The objectives of the Congress, according to ITWebafrica, are to map out entrepreneurial ecosystems, share new developments in startup financing, connect entrepreneurs to the best resources and networks, and identify emerging entrepreneurial hotspots and global expansion of the producer movement.
According to organisers of the event, initiated by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and the Kauffman Foundation 2009, it has been established to facilitate networking between thought leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and other stakeholders with the view to building economies and improving human welfare.
According to a statement released by organisers, Johannesburg will co-host the Congress with research and development specialist SEA Africa, a company that is said to have spearheaded the bid to host.
Kizito Okechukwu, executive head of SEA Africa, says: “This Congress will assist businesses and promote entrepreneurship across the African continent. We are therefore calling on entrepreneurs to leverage from various support structures and programmes being introduced by various partners. We are expecting leading global entrepreneurs and innovators to grace this occasion.”
The Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu says bringing the GEC to South Africa was a collective effort by her Department, the City of Johannesburg, Barclays Africa and SEA Africa.
“GEC will help sustain the momentum of an entrepreneurial revolution which President Jacob Zuma set in motion last year when he announced the establishment of our separate department that would focus on small businesses and cooperatives! I am confident that GEC 2017 will further thrust entrepreneurship and small business development firmly on the national agenda and the collective consciousness of our nation,” said Minister Zulu.
Craig Bond, CEO of Retail and Business Banking at Barclays Africa, said, “The GEC is a platform that can open doors for our youth, ignite entrepreneurship and put our youth in the global arena. It contributes to the overall Pan-Africanism objective by strengthening common perspectives amongst nations, creating partnerships and collaborative efforts, and encouraging inter-regional trade.”
Organisers have also stated that the GEC global team is currently in South Africa to engage with the local committee about the strategic and operational plan.
Jonathan Ortmans, Global Entrepreneurship Network president, said, “GEC 2017 is just one example of the Global Entrepreneurship Network commitment to helping the next generation of African entrepreneurs start and scale—rebranding the continent and permanently shifting perceptions around the world.”
Posted by Janice Johnson
