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Leading global IT firm Cisco has launched a ZAR10 million (US$700,000) incubation hub in the South African capital Pretoria to help develop small and medium sized businesses and speed up their market entry.

The Cisco Edge Incubation Centre offers small businesses access to Cisco technology as well as a variety of training and enablement programmes. It offers work space, internet connectivity and boardroom facilities.

Companies based out of the centre will have the opportunity to connect with Cisco teams to develop business ideas. The centre will be run in conjunction with the Innovation Hub in Pretoria and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).

At least 30 small businesses will be trained annually and given the necessary skills to enable them to compete in the market. In the coming months, Cisco plans to establish similar centres in Gauteng (Tshimologong), Eastern Cape (East London Industrial Development Zone) and KwaZulu-Natal (Dube Trade Port).

“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,” said Cisco’s general manager for Sub-Saharan Africa Clayton Naidoo.

“As a global company, we want to enable SMMEs to have access to our resources no matter where these resources sit in the world.”

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