Anglo American South Africa has launched an incubator programme through its enterprise development arm, Zimele, aimed at turning 500 start-up businesses in rural communities into sustainable companies.
The programme will assist mainly youth- and women-owned businesses around Anglo operations in the North West, Limpopo and the Northern Cape.
It will be offered in three phases at each location, with 25 entrepreneurs taking part in each phase, over seven months. The programme will provide aspiring entrepreneurs with structured training, mentorship and tools that will help them refine their business models, identify and engage target markets and test their products and services.
Training companies like TechnoServe and Summit, and banking company Absa, will also provide assistance for the start-ups.
Zimele and its partners have since 2018 helped more than 1 200 entrepreneurs grow their businesses, access credit and integrate into mining and other supply chains.