Cape Town - Fourteen entrepreneurs comprising 12 businesses have returned to South Africa following a successful International Trade Programme (ITP) in the UK.
This is the third such trade trip for South African entrepreneurs in two years and the results for their businesses and job creation back home are proving to be very positive.
The ITP aims to stimulate trade between South African entrepreneurs and UK partners, fast tracking the growth of local entrepreneurial businesses which are key to economic growth and job creation in this country.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs from across the country applied with the most successful being chosen during a rigorous selection and training process at the end of 2013.
The programme has been made possible by Medo, which connects large companies (with annual turnover above R35m) with emerging and smaller enterprises and it is sponsored by British Telecom Global Services (BT).
Success is based on actual agreements concluded.
“Our first tour had a success rate of 20%, our second 50% and this one I would say anywhere between 70 to 80%,” said Bjarke Gotfredsen, Joint CEO & Co-founder of Medo.
"The focus on this tour was the ICT sector and to bring these entrepreneurial businesses into the supply chain," said Rodney Heubner, contract manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, BT Global Services.
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Henk Koekemoer of CashCow an accountancy board game and kit. On the tour he received an endorsement from the International Association of Bookkeepers for CashCow.
An added bonus is that the Serious Gaming Institute will be developing CashCow into a digital format.
Koekemoer also had discussions with Price Waterhouse Coopers in the UK on how they could use his product to assist in the basic learning of accounting throughout the world.
Itumeleng Legodi of Systemwox ICT in Centurion, provides ICT business solutions to companies so they can operate more efficiently, such as bulk smsing and crowd sourcing.
The company has secured an agreement in principle with Capium to distribute their products in Southern Africa.
Josias Motsoeneng, chief executive director of Marketing and Projects and Hendrik van Rooyen, chief executive director, risk management of AC Electromech in Middleburg secured an exclusive license agreement to sell and distribute Hansford products throughout Africa.
They are also in talks with BT, which will lead to their entry into the oil mining and gas sector.
Kennedy Kitheka of Fundi in Cape Town, provides academic and training institutions with a delivery mechanism for their digital material.
His company was successful in securing the rights to digitise Limra’s content through its delivery mechanism. The pilot will run in the next month or two.
The next MEDO tour will be in September this year. Interested entrepreneurs can find out more information closer to the time on www.medo.co.za.
- Fin24
* Share your experience of setting up a business or simply ask a question. Our business panel can put you on the right path.
This is the third such trade trip for South African entrepreneurs in two years and the results for their businesses and job creation back home are proving to be very positive.
The ITP aims to stimulate trade between South African entrepreneurs and UK partners, fast tracking the growth of local entrepreneurial businesses which are key to economic growth and job creation in this country.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs from across the country applied with the most successful being chosen during a rigorous selection and training process at the end of 2013.
The programme has been made possible by Medo, which connects large companies (with annual turnover above R35m) with emerging and smaller enterprises and it is sponsored by British Telecom Global Services (BT).
Success is based on actual agreements concluded.
“Our first tour had a success rate of 20%, our second 50% and this one I would say anywhere between 70 to 80%,” said Bjarke Gotfredsen, Joint CEO & Co-founder of Medo.
"The focus on this tour was the ICT sector and to bring these entrepreneurial businesses into the supply chain," said Rodney Heubner, contract manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, BT Global Services.
Feedback
Henk Koekemoer of CashCow an accountancy board game and kit. On the tour he received an endorsement from the International Association of Bookkeepers for CashCow.
An added bonus is that the Serious Gaming Institute will be developing CashCow into a digital format.
Koekemoer also had discussions with Price Waterhouse Coopers in the UK on how they could use his product to assist in the basic learning of accounting throughout the world.
Itumeleng Legodi of Systemwox ICT in Centurion, provides ICT business solutions to companies so they can operate more efficiently, such as bulk smsing and crowd sourcing.
The company has secured an agreement in principle with Capium to distribute their products in Southern Africa.
Josias Motsoeneng, chief executive director of Marketing and Projects and Hendrik van Rooyen, chief executive director, risk management of AC Electromech in Middleburg secured an exclusive license agreement to sell and distribute Hansford products throughout Africa.
They are also in talks with BT, which will lead to their entry into the oil mining and gas sector.
Kennedy Kitheka of Fundi in Cape Town, provides academic and training institutions with a delivery mechanism for their digital material.
His company was successful in securing the rights to digitise Limra’s content through its delivery mechanism. The pilot will run in the next month or two.
The next MEDO tour will be in September this year. Interested entrepreneurs can find out more information closer to the time on www.medo.co.za.
- Fin24
* Share your experience of setting up a business or simply ask a question. Our business panel can put you on the right path.