With the first month of 2012 already under our collective belt, we caught up with SAFIPA-supported projects to find out what 2012 has in store for them.  In this article we share developments within FBSA, Reed House Systems, CampusNet, JamiiX, WhereisMyTransport and LiftclubSA.

FBSA brings out the bubbly at Bloekombos!

Fireworks image from Flickr by Bayasaa CC-BY

First Business South Africa (FBSA) has already had some extremely heartening developments within their initiative.  Tim White, the founder of FBSA says, “2012 might just be the year that we have all been waiting for!  Finally our facility has its power and so we are able to take the next important steps.”

Tim refers to the Bloekombos Uluntu Plaza, which is FBSA’s living lab business incubator, and which also happens to be an African first!  The project involves the establishment of a business training centre, or incubator, at which previously unemployed learner-workers are placed in retail based micro-enterprises, backed by a fully integrated supply chain and business services platform, whilst engaging in skills programmes and learnerships to embed the required knowledge.  The Plaza is an initiative of City of Cape Town Local Areas human and Economic Development department (LAED). The business incubator provides an unprecedented opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to participate actively in the local economic development of South Africa.

During the latter part of 2011, implementation of the project was hampered by delays in the electrification of the plaza.  Whilst having to endure a number of frustrating months until power was finally delivered to the plaza, Tim can now enthusiastically report that, “Our immediate aim is to attract suppliers and manufacturers to participate in the supply chain processes.”

(more…)