World Entrepreneurs’ Day: Rethinking the role of education in tackling youth unemployment

TODAY’S employment landscape has changed drastically, with entrepreneurship at the center of this transformation.

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SMEs and small business owners have become the backbone of our economy, contributing around 24% of GDP. While South Africa boasts a vibrant startup and small business sector, the critical question remains: how do we sustain this growth while simultaneously driving job creation?

As it stands, entrepreneurship in South Africa is a driving force behind South Africa's economic growth, especially in the small, medium, and micro enterprise (SMME) sector, which supports over 13 million employees.

However, our SMME failure rate is among the highest in the world.

To help stop this bleed, we need to develop school curriculums that equip learners with entrepreneurial skills, giving them the tools and confidence to overcome challenges they may encounter on their entrepreneurial journey.