Across global communities, it is widely agreed that entrepreneurship is an important driver for development. Successful entrepreneurship is viewed as a definite force to alleviate poverty and create job opportunities across the entire African continent. In fact, it is often said that entrepreneurship in developing nations is driven by necessity rather than opportunity.
“Certainly in South Africa with an estimated population of over 50 million people and an unemployment rate of 23.9%, the country is in a strong position for entrepreneur opportunity, with great passion,” says Serame Taukobong, MTN South Africa chief marketing officer at MTN Business. “As a result, being a part of an initiative like The Big Break Legacy, which is actively developing and fostering entrepreneurial activity, is truly a privilege for MTN Business.”
Business battlefield
Over the course of the last few months, the contestants who have been battling it out on the Big Break Legacy show have been tasked with everything from thinking out of the box to developing strategic business and marketing plans and using the valuable resource of time to their benefit. They have also had the privilege of meeting some of the business world’s most talented people, whilst learning key business roles and aspects such as the importance of sustainability and market relevance along the way, and themselves have impacted the South Africa viewer of the show.
“What The Big Break Legacy has also demonstrated is that entrepreneurship is more than just the mere creation of a business – it’s about vision, innovation, hard work and the realisation of a dream – and helping to enable such realisation is a key mantra to the MTN Business brand,” adds Taukobong.
“MTN Business is committed to real continent advancement, understanding that SMEs are indispensable contributors to the future viability of South Africa, and we are certainly proud to have brought together such a diverse group of people to share experiences, visions and advice, through our sponsorship of this series, all which plays a crucial role in the innovations that lead to technological change, productivity growth and economic viability.”
Harnessing innovation
The future of South Africa lies in harnessing the innovative culture that is the cornerstone of the local entrepreneur sector. MTN Business is passionate about driving the skill of entrepreneurship forward and is dedicated to educating and providing guidance to all aspiring entrepreneurs out there – in the hope of assisting to produce a nation of successful entrepreneurs who can drive business leadership and sustainability.
The Big Break Legacy has been a production that that has engaged in true advocacy for entrepreneurship, in that it will create ‘future employers’ through its ability to facilitate valuable experience, insight and mentorship for all the contestants over the last few months. MTN Business is proud to congratulate all the contestants on their incredible journey and of course, the winner Graham Rowe, who throughout this series has proved that he has what it takes to start a business inSouth Africa. I am certain that this is not the last time we will be hearing from some of them, as they are well poised to make their mark on the South African market,” concludes Taukobong.