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Business investment competition calls on agri-entrepreneurs to enter

25 Oct 2021

The Eskom 2021 Business Investment Competition (Bic), which provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their offering, and provides a platform for them to learn from like-minded counterparts, is calling on emerging farmers and entrepreneurs in agroprocessing to submit their entries for this year's competition. "The agriculture sector has great potential to transform the economy of rural communities where employment and economic activity are especially scarce. Informal, subsistence farming is prevalent in rural areas and requires investment to see the emerging farmers develop and run commercially viable businesses," Cecil Ramonotsi, Eskom Development Foundation CEO.

Image source: Gallo/Getty

Businesses in engineering and construction, manufacturing, or trade and services sectors that have been in business for at least two years are also invited to participate and stand a chance to walk away with cash prizes.

While the competition seeks to inject financial support into the small businesses, the Business Connect that follows the Bic aims to empower Bic entrants with business skills and networking opportunities. It is also a platform for the BIC winners to market their products and services.

"With many of our emerging farmers based in rural areas where formal business management education is lacking, platforms such as Eskom’s Business Connect help develop their business skills through workshops focusing on financial management, leveraging technology for business development, and brand positioning," adds Nthato Minyuku, Eskom’s group executive for government and regulatory affairs.

Qualifying black-owned small businesses in the agriculture and agri-processing sector can enter here until midnight on 31 October 2021.