Small, medium and microenterprises (SMMEs) can play a crucial role in stimulating long-term economic growth and creating jobs. Government therefore offers a range of services to support entrepreneurship and innovation in SMMEs, under the auspices of departments such as Trade and Industry (DTI), Science and Technology, and Small Business Development. Incubation programmes are an important form of support to existing and aspiring SMME entrepreneurs, who get access to both basic services (e.g. physical space, infrastructure and shared services) and advanced services (e.g. networking opportunities, access to specialised knowledge, and access to finance). Incubation programmes aim to improve the early-stage survival and long-term growth prospects of SMMEs, to ensure that they remain sustainable for more than three years after graduating from the incubator support.
