JOHANNESBURG – South Africa should take a leaf out India’s Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise sector which is responsible for the creation of jobs and for anchoring the economy, and not big business, South African Consul-General in Mumbai, India, Maropene Ramokgopa said.
“This sector grew to become what it is today precisely because of these kinds of initiatives that I have alluded to. Initiatives that had to do with incubation, innovation and research and development," she said. Ramokgopa explained that the Indian government’s successes within the SMME sector were because it identified an industry it would like to develop and then created opportunities for start-ups to grow through incubation initiatives and the awarding of tax breaks as these SMMEs grow.
"India did inform us that they were looking at diversifying into the mining sector and it is well-known that we possess a mining track record that spans more than hundred years. India in return has been doing extremely well in fields such as Information Technology and would ensure that they support us in that regard," she said.