Senior business and provincial government leaders have seen for themselves what young entrepreneurs can do with support from entrepreneurially minded partners such as the North-West University (NWU) and its North West Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub. 

Around 40 entrepreneurs presented their business ideas to a provincial judging panel which mostly were in manufacturing during the Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge held on 8 July at the hub, which is based at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.

The event, which the hub co-hosted with the NWU Mahikeng Campus Business School, drew praise from Bitsa Lenkopane, North West MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), who referred to the hub as a “provincial asset” that must serve the people of the North West. 

“We want this hub to become a centre for skills development, incubation, innovation, entrepreneurial commercialisation and market access,” she said during a walkabout at the hub, accompanied by Linda Hasi, chief executive officer of Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development Corporation.

Collaboration is central to building an inclusive economy

The hub is a collaboration between the NWU, DEDECT and the Young African Entrepreneurs Institute (YAEI). It was launched in March 2025 as a platform where ideas could become businesses, research could address societal challenges, and young entrepreneurs could gain access to mentorship, skills development and market opportunities.

During the visit, MEC Lenkopane said the hub is central to government’s commitment to building an inclusive economy.

“When I tabled my departmental budget vote, I committed that our partnership with the NWU and the YAEI would become one of the cornerstones of our strategies to build an innovative, competitive and inclusive provincial economy.”

She said the hub must extend its impact beyond the university environment and identify and support young entrepreneurs throughout the province, including hose operating informal businesses, and help them develop sustainable enterprises.

The future belongs to problem solvers

The MEC added that universities have a critical role to play in responding to unemployment and economic challenges.

“Universities must not only produce graduates. They must help to produce entrepreneurs, innovators and industrialists. Research must solve real problems and knowledge must improve lives.”

She encouraged young people to develop ideas aligned with sectors such as ICT and digital innovation, manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing, renewable energy, tourism, mining beneficiation and the green economy.

“The future economy belongs to those who solve problems. Every challenge facing our province is an opportunity for innovation.”

Our greatest resource is not beneath the ground. It is the creativity, resilience and imagination of young people. Let this hub become more than a building. Let it become a movement that inspires innovation, creates enterprise, grows industries and transforms society,” she said.

Bitsa Lenkopane, the MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism.

Young people from Ngaka Modiri Molema presented their business ideas during the event.