The Durban University of Technology’s Department Co-operative Education, in partnership with the Richard Maponya Institute for Skills and Entrepreneurship Development, hosted a workshop to promote entrepreneurship amongst students at the University. 

With so many challenges facing graduates and the unemployment rate on the rise, networks like these play a critical role in motivating and empowering young people to take that leap of faith and look beyond their circumstances.

Creating opportunities from where you are with what you have in order to empower others around you as well as building a society of young creative entrepreneurs who will contribute greatly towards uplifting underprivileged communities was the main focus of the workshop. 

“It is the combination of passion, commitment, hard work, ambition and persistence that gets you far in the business world,” said Sam Tsima, Maponya Institute CEO. “As young people who are starting out in business or who hope to own a business one day, make use of social media in a positive way to grow and advertise your business or talent, and always remember that in the business the word, failure does not exist, rather, failure is a great business lesson learnt through certain things not going the way we had hoped,” he said.

Nonhlanhla Ngcobo, Financial Accounting student, said the workshop was an eye-opener for her. “Today marks the beginning of a new dawn for me as a BTech student who has a hunger for success and a desire for prosperity. My dream is to be a social entrepreneur. With the skills that I have acquired whilst studying and the knowledge that I have obtained in this workshop, I am more than confident that I will become one Africa’s game changers,” said Ngcobo.

– Ntsiki Mthabela

Pictured: Sam Tsima, Maponya Institute CEO.