Cisco has launched a R10 million Incubation Hub called Cisco Edge Incubation Centre in South Africa. The new hub aims to help develop SMMEs in the digital revolution and fast track their entry into the market. The hub which is located in Pretoria, is to provide SMMEs state-of-the-art Cisco technology, alongside with training and enablement programs.
Cisco’s General Manager for sub-Saharan Africa, Clayton Naidoo said, “The hub is designed to impart business knowledge and technology skills along with collaborative opportunities. Our goal is to help prepare SMMEs for the digital economy and ultimately lead to job creation.”
The hub is a smart building that offers complete business facilities including workspaces with high-speed broadband connectivity, video conferencing and collaboration platforms, as well as boardroom and training facilities. In addition, SMMEs will be able to connect with global Cisco experts, who can help them develop business ideas and concepts in a digital world.
“As a global company, we want to enable SMME’s to have access to our resources no matter where these resources sit in the world,” Naidoo said.
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The centre will function in conjunction with the Innovation Hub in Pretoria and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and 30 SMMEs will be trained annually as well as given the necessary skills to enable them to compete in the market. Cisco plans to establish similar centres in Gauteng (Tshimologong), Eastern Cape (East London Industrial Development Zone) and KwaZulu-Natal (Dube Trade Port) in the coming months.
“From a local point of view, Cisco is conscious of the National Development Plan, and as such, we want to contribute to the country’s job creation efforts,” says Naidoo.
While appreciating the initiative, Advocate Pieter Holl who is the acting CEO of the Innovation Hub in Pretoria said “this centre allows young people and entrepreneurs to equip themselves with vital and specialised capabilities that will give them a head-start in the fast-paced digital world. With Cisco’s guidance, this will ultimately help drive South Africa’s economic growth.”
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