Director of the Alexandra Renewal Project, Julian Baskin

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New Business Place for Alexandra A new satellite centre of The Business Place Johannesburg aims to help entrepreneurs start up and maintain businesses in Alexandra. June 22, 2006 By Anish Abraham IN a bid to stimulate the local economy, a satellite centre of The Business Place is set to open in Alexandra. The centre will offer aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs courses on basic life skills, starting a business, financial management and running and growing a business. Based at the Alexan Kopano Resource Centre, The Business Place Alexandra will be located conveniently next to the Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the impending Employment Information Centre. "The building is already completed, staff have been trained and they are currently furnishing the place. It should be opening shortly," said Julian Baskin, director of the Alexandra Renewal Project. "This development will assist people to start their own businesses, as well as helping existing businesses to improve their operating efficiencies," Baskin explained. A satellite centre of The Business Place is set to open in Alexandra However, Baskin stressed, the creation of the satellite centre was just one facet of a much broader strategy to address issues that plague the densely populated township. "One of the main objectives of the Alexandra Renewal Project is to reduce unemployment and poverty in a sustainable manner, especially through spatial integration and skills training, mainly focussed on women and youth," he said. The Business Place The decision to create the satellite centre was taken in council on 31 May, following the successes of The Business Place Johannesburg. A Section 21, non-profit, company that was set up in 2001 as a partnership between the City, Investec Bank and Unisa, the main branch caters for an average of 2 000 clients a month. Though the main branch is located in downtown Johannesburg, a substantial number of its clients come from Alexandra. Management of the Alexandra Renewal Project had for a long time been in negotiations with Open for Business, the predecessor of The Business Place. The Alexandra Renewal Project previously received a once-off grant of R1,9-millon from the department of provincial and local government to create a similar type of service. The grant funding has since been transferred to the City to use for the new satellite centre. As a partner in the Alexandra Renewal Project, the national Department of Housing has allocated an amount of R9,7-million over three years for the centre. With total external funding of R11,6-million, the project will have no financial implications on the City. An innovative way of ensuring transfer of knowledge between professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs, satellites of The Business Place are operational in Cape Town; Philippi, outside Cape Town; King William's Town; St Lucia; and Gaborone in Botswana. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za