UNCFSP group from left: Prof Valiant Clapper (Acting Executive Director: Graduate School of Business Leadership), Prof Elmarie Sadler (Acting Executive Dean: College of Economic and Management Sciences), Prof Raphael Mpofu (Director: School of Management Sciences), Ronald Langston (Langston Global Enterprises), Michael J. Hester (UNCFSP President and Chief Executive Officer), Lizzie Lowe (UNCFSP) & Emmanuel Ortisejafor (North Carolina Central University)
It is no secret that many South Africans are currently seeking employment. According to Statistics South Africa, while the country’s unemployment rate may have dropped from 25,2% to 24,9% in the second quarter of 2012, there were still approximately 4,5 million people looking for work in the second quarter of 2012, of which 67,8% have been looking for work for a period of one year or longer.
Also of concern is the number of South African graduates without jobs. And despite overall levels of unemployment declining year-on-year, the number of unemployed people among those with tertiary education, increased by 24 000.
Unisa recognises the disparity in unemployment and the challenges facing South Africans, and as part of their efforts to address these challenges, the university’s College of Economic and Management Sciences is currently hosting delegates from the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (UNCFSP) as part of the UNCFSP/Unisa Global Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement Partnership.
Speaking at the opening session on 8 October 2012, UNCFSP President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael J Hester, said that the purpose of the week-long programme was to engage Unisa as a strategic partner to create a nexus of study and practice between policy, social entrepreneurship and business enterprise in an effort to yield economic growth.
Providing context, he said in the USA, the historically black universities and colleges were the anchors of the community, and among other things, they have also been the source of training grounds for business owners and businesses that sustain the communities. “As we fast forward to today, we recognise the importance of keeping that linkage between our universities and businesses that support the community. UNCFSP has adopted the approach that we want to serve as a global platform for education and economic opportunity. We want to create synergy around entrepreneurship and a linkage – a synergy – between our universities and business. So we’ve established the global entrepreneurship initiative to do just that. And we asked our international partners to join with us, with express purpose of finding ways to expand upon that linkage between academia and industry.”
Unisa’s Vice-Principal: Institutional Development, Dr Molapo Qhobela, said crafting relationships that are enduring, and that have mutual value are important. He said South Africa and Africa have a multitude of problems and the best way to alleviate the problems is to work in partnerships. He added that when funders look for opportunities, when funders want things to be done, they want things to be done in sync. “… And so part of our hope, coming out of these engagements, is going to be how we craft those relationships, build them on the back of what makes universities good, what makes universities strong… Our (Unisa) duty is to provide opportunity to the people of this continent and at the same time to make sure that that opportunity is tied to tangible benefits – not only to them as individuals but to the broader society at large.”
As the focus of the week’s planned discussions are on entrepreneurship, many students from Unisa and the UNCFSP are enthusiastic and eager to network and learn from each other.
UNSCFSP-Institute for International Public Policy Fellow, Harjaap Singh, said he was happy to be in Southern Africa because of family ties. “I’ve always tried to understand what my legacy is here, in the sense my father used to live in Zambia and there’s a lot of influence of African culture in my family, and I am not aware of that, so I am trying to better deeply understand it. This is definitely a great opportunity and I hope we understand that as young entrepreneurs, the new generations to take forth the leadership, we have to establish our own relationships. And although we may not have our own companies, we may not be the deans of schools; one day that might just happen, and it’s important for us to create those relationships, so that we can keep an open mind and prevent that ignorance that goes around the world from continuing forth.”
UNSCFSP-Institute for International Public Policy Fellow, Alaina Walton, whose interests are in political economy said: “I believe that our connection – Unisa and UNCFSP – is such a great connection because we get to see where South Africa’s economy is moving as an emerging nation.”
This network building and sharing of knowledge comes at an opportune time for young South African entrepreneurs as the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report (released in 2012), stated that the number of South African youth entrepreneurs is lagging behind other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries.
The report called for closer investigation and debate around the factors that impact on entrepreneurial activity in South Africa. “Given South Africa’s very high unemployment rate, improving policies and schemes that increase the number of individuals that pursue entrepreneurship as a positive employment choice are vital.”
GEM’s primary measure of total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) shows that South Africa’s rate in 2011 (9,1%) has remained constant (8,9% in 2010). Female involvement in early stage entrepreneurship increased between 2006 and 2011, but by a smaller percentage than the increase for male involvement.
The report reads: “South Africa’s rates of TEA in the 18-24 years and 25-34 years age brackets are the second lowest of the BRICS economies, which is a cause for concern when one considers the youth unemployment rate of 48,2%. In most other efficiency-driven economies, the 25-34 years age bracket drives TEA. Given that South Africa has a very low established business rate (the lowest of the BRICS economies and one of the lowest across all GEM countries), indicates that relatively few jobs are available for youth and that small business development aimed at youth should be one of South Africa’s most pressing priorities.”
* Written by Rivonia Naidu
