The University of Pretoria (UP) recently welcomed Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and James Christoff, High Commissioner for Canada in South Africa, to the Mamelodi Business Hub. Their esteemed visit represents a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between UP, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Generation Unlimited (GenU), as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), in addressing youth unemployment through sustainable entrepreneurship and economic development.

A Hub for Innovation and Economic Empowerment

Young people in South Africa face an uphill battle to find employment and secure an income. The government’s latest statistics depict a difficult reality where 60% of youth aged 15-24 and 40% of young people aged 25-34 are unemployed.

The Mamelodi Business Hub is working with partners to change this. Established in 2011 by UP's Department of Business Management, the Hub serves as a cornerstone for business development, offering mentorship, training and strategic support to aspiring young entrepreneurs. The Hub's initiatives are closely aligned with GenU – a public-private-youth partnership hosted by UNICEF that bridges the gap between the world's leading organisations and young people to tackle the most pressing issues facing youth.

Canada is a lead government partner supporting GenU globally, and the presence of the Minister and the High Commissioner underscores the Canadian people’s commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs and change-makers worldwide. Canada is supporting GenU through a contribution of CAD 60 million over 5 years to champion economic empowerment through digital and green initiatives, including in South Africa.

GenU aims to equip more than 1,5 million young people by 2030 with digital, science and tech skills, entrepreneurship development opportunities, and civic engagement initiatives to support their transition from learning to earning. The Hub is a critical step forward in achieving this goal – providing equal access to young entrepreneurs, equipping them with a facility to work from, access to computers and the internet, as well as on-hand mentoring and support.

As Busisiwe Ghazu, apparel and apothecary entrepreneur and regular at the Hub, says, “The training programmes were mind-blowing. They literally transformed me. Now, I’ve become the version of me that I’ve always wanted to be.”

These efforts align with and contribute to targets under South Africa’s Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, the National Youth Policy 2020–2030, the UN Secretary-General’s Youth2030 Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

A Commitment to Lasting Change

The Mamelodi Business Hub stands as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration between academia, industry, governments and the UN in promoting sustainable economic development. As an integral part of UP's community engagement initiatives, the Hub plays a crucial role in encouraging entrepreneurship skills and opportunities and supporting young people as changemakers to establish and expand enterprises that contribute to long-term social and economic development.

As UP continues to champion community-driven development initiatives, the Mamelodi Business Hub remains a symbol of resilience, empowerment and forward-thinking entrepreneurship. The visit by Canada's Foreign Minister and High Commissioner reaffirms the Hub's role as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth, global collaboration and impactful partnerships that drive meaningful and lasting change.