Roche partners with Raizcorp to develop local entrepreneurs
Roche South Africa has entered into a partnership with Raizcorp to help develop and support the businesses of two local entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneurs selected for the Roche Business Growth Programme have passed a rigorous eight-step selection process that included assessments, audits and a panel presentation. The process identified John Dube from Dugass Hydraulics and Armstrong Morake from ASM Transport as the two entrepreneurs with the best potential to succeed. Dugass Hydraulics offers hydraulic and pneumatic supply, services and repairs, while ASM Transport offers courier services and transports clothing and pharmaceutical supplies.
As part of the programme, John and Armstrong will undergo an approved and highly recognised practical learning curriculum from Raizcorp that has been accredited by the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative or SFEDI, the UK government’s non-profit standards-setting body for small business support and development. (Raizcorp is, according to The Economist, the only genuine incubator in Africa to provide full-service supplier and enterprise development programmes that translate into practical business success.)
The entrepreneurs will also receive the support of a team of full-time Raizcorp guides (mentors), who have been carefully selected and trained to provide a high-quality experience and interactions that are designed to help move businesses to the next level.
“I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to develop entrepreneurship as part of a strategy to combat and eradicate unemployment in South Africa,” says Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp. “We are delighted to be joining forces with Roche, who are showing their commitment to this truly worthwhile goal by making a significant investment in these two entrepreneurs.”
Oscar Manuga, Legal Advisor and Compliance Officer at Roche, adds, “This is not a ‘tick-box exercise’ for Roche. We have chosen to partner with Raizcorp to make sure that our enterprise-development spend is properly utilised and aligned to our corporate strategy, while making a real difference and supporting entrepreneurs who can create more jobs.”
Roche will be sponsoring John and Amstrong for a period of one year.