Youth Shaping Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Across South Africa
Creating pathways from ideas to opportunity through collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship. With youth unemployment remaining one of South Africa’s most pressing challenges, many young people are looking beyond traditional employment pathways and building their own businesses.
With youth unemployment remaining one of South Africa’s most pressing challenges, many young people are looking beyond traditional employment pathways and building their own businesses. However, successful entrepreneurship requires more than a good idea — young entrepreneurs need access to skills, mentorship, networks, finance, markets, and opportunities to grow.
This Youth Month, the Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Supporting Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (IYBA-SEED) programme highlights the organisations working to strengthen the systems that support young entrepreneurs across South Africa.
Through IYBA-SEED South Africa, ecosystem partners—known as “Weavers”—bring together entrepreneurs, support organisations, financiers, government, researchers, and private sector partners to create stronger connections and unlock opportunities.
Turning potential into enterprise
For Propella Business Incubator, supporting young entrepreneurs means creating the conditions for businesses to grow and create jobs.
Through incubation, mentorship, business support, and access to networks, Propella has helped young entrepreneurs develop sustainable enterprises. Over the past decade, 73% of the businesses incubated by Propella have been youth-owned, contributing to the creation of more than 2,200 jobs.
Their work demonstrates how supporting one entrepreneur can have a wider impact by creating opportunities for others.
Turning environmental challenges into green economy opportunities
The National Business Initiative’s NBI4BIOMASS project explores how environmental challenges can become new economic opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
By supporting businesses within the Alien and Invasive Plant biomass economy, the project helps entrepreneurs explore opportunities in areas such as biochar, activated carbon, and other green economy solutions.
During a learning journey in the Southern Cape, young entrepreneurs were exposed to real-world biomass businesses and connected with industry stakeholders. For entrepreneur Bongiwe Mafuya from the Eastern Cape, the experience provided a clearer understanding of what was possible and helped her rethink the direction of her business.
Her experience shows how exposure, knowledge sharing, and collaboration can help entrepreneurs make more informed decisions about their future.
Building confidence alongside business skills
The Institute of Natural Resources (INR) supports young entrepreneurs through enterprise development, mentorship, environmental programmes, and market linkages.
Their work highlights an important reality: many young entrepreneurs need more than technical support and funding. Confidence, resilience, and belief in their own potential are also essential.
Through support from INR, entrepreneur Mfundo Dlamini was able to use savings accumulated through a savings group to purchase equipment for his clothing business.
Today, he is producing branded apparel and receiving orders from local football clubs.
His journey demonstrates how access to the right support at the right time can help transform an idea into a growing business.
Connecting learning to opportunity
The South African Supplier Diversity Council SASDC focuses on helping young people bridge the gap between education and entrepreneurship.
Through its Cadet Intrapreneur Entrepreneur Programme, SASDC equips young people with entrepreneurial skills, workplace exposure, mentorship, and practical business support.
By connecting educators, employers, MSMEs, industry experts, and youth-focused organisations, SASDC creates pathways for young people to move from learning into enterprise creation.
This approach helps young people see entrepreneurship as a realistic pathway towards economic participation.
The power of collaboration
Creating sustainable opportunities for young entrepreneurs requires collaboration between business support organisations, government, development partners, financiers, and the private sector.
Private sector collaboration is particularly important because it connects entrepreneurs to real markets, supply chains, industry expertise, mentorship, and potential investment opportunities. When businesses engage with entrepreneurs early, they help create pathways for innovation and growth.
The involvement of multiple partners and funders also strengthens the impact of these efforts. By combining resources, knowledge, and networks, partners can reach more entrepreneurs and build stronger systems that continue supporting businesses beyond individual projects. The Team Europe Initiative Investing in Young Businesses in Africa (TEI IYBA) is EU’s Global Gateway flagship strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems and supporting early-stage businesses and MSMEs to drive jobs and private investment across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Building the future together
This Youth Month, IYBA SEED celebrates the young entrepreneurs who continue to innovate, adapt, and create opportunities — and the organisations working behind the scenes to strengthen the ecosystems around them.
When young people have access to the right connections, support, and opportunities, they are not only building businesses; they are contributing to job creation, innovation, and South Africa’s economic future.
Strong ecosystems create strong entrepreneurs which helps build stronger communities.
LinkedIn Page: IYBA-SEED Project: Posts | LinkedIn
Website: Homepage | IYBA SEED Hub
