The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) was established in December 2004 in terms of the National Small Business Amendment Act (No 29 of 2004). This law merged the previous small enterprise development agencies Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, NAMAC Trust and the Community Public Private Partnerships (CPPP) into a single small enterprise support agency. SEDA is the DTIs agency for supporting small business in South Africa.

The mandate of SEDA is to design and implement a standard national delivery network that must apply throughout the country. Its role includes the support and promotion of co-operatives, particularly those found in rural areas.

The work of SEDA is carried out in line with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Integrated Small Enterprise Development Strategy, which aims to:

• Strengthen support for SMMEs’ access to finance
• Create an enabling regulatory environment
• Expand market opportunities for specific categories of small enterprises
• Localise small business support through a grid of SEDA co-ordinated information and advice access points
• Initiate a national entrepreneurship drive and expand education and training for small business
• Co-fund minimum business infrastructure facilities in local authority areas across the country

In terms of this strategy, SEDA’s delivery network must reach all regions of the country and integrate government-funded small enterprise support across all tiers of government.

Regarding business infrastructure facilities, the integrated strategy also requires linking up closely with current local economic development (LED) initiatives in all municipalities.

For information on SEDA and the services and support it supplies, visit the website: www.seda.org.za