Prof Jurie van Vuuren of the Department of Business management at the University of Pretoria is the programme coordinator.

The Tshwane Enterprise Development Programme (TEDP) focuses on enhancing the skills and knowledge of the participating entrepreneurs, as well as stimulating the local economic growth and development by generating income and creating economic activities and employment opportunities.

A total of 1 400 entrepreneurs within Tshwane participated in the TEDP since 2009, of which 1 199 delegates completed the Programme successfully. Another 201 delegates are currently busy with the mentorship programme.

The development of the local economy is dependent on the creation of sustainable entrepreneurial ventures to combat unemployment and poverty. Recent research indicates that, for every employment opportunity created, five other dependents are influenced positively or supported. Based on the number of delegates who completed the Programme successfully and excluding the 201 delegates who are currently busy with it, the following can be reported:

• If the 1 199 delegates that successfully completed the TEDP also support five dependants on average, it can be concluded that the project potentially influenced 7 154 people’s lives positively.
• Considering that a total of 516 employment opportunities were created during this project, it can be deduced that the project had a positive impact on the lives of an additional 3 096 individuals.
• The capacity-building project therefore has had a positive impact on the lives of a total of 10 250 individuals (excluding employment that was created after the mentorship programme was completed).

According to the above figures, it is clear that the Tshwane Enterprise Development Programme has made a large contribution to the economic growth and development of the city.