The Department has a 50-year vision for the Western Cape. The vision spans not only images of flowery vistas but also very real quantifiable and tangible interventions into the economy to make the Western Cape a world-class region for its citizens.

Some of the eventual goals of the vision include optimising the SMMEs contribution to employment and economic development by:

• Raising the rate of formation of new SMMEs with growth potential, since these SMMEs will contribute to investment, employment and income generation;
• Encouraging new SMMEs arising from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, since these start-ups can contribute to a redistribution of economic ownership and income, as well as a more participatory economy;
• Increasing the rate of graduation of micro-enterprises into SME categories, since only then will the legacy of apartheid be overcome; and
• Decreasing the undesirable mortality rate of SMMEs that could be viable undertakings.

To be real and to show that we are committed to build the Western Cape economy through small business development, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism has to be bold and daring about how it will achieve this. It is vitally important that everyone in the Department has to share in the ownership of the strategy and must understand their role in achieving the ends.

Probably the greatest tool that the Department has is its own financial budget. Without it, we can truly achieve none of the wonderful ideas and concepts we have planned. This funding, is however, very limited and should be seen in the greater scheme of the Provincial Government coffers, which dualistically work to achieve the economic environment of excellence for our citizens. Also, vitally important for the Department is that we will have to be active seekers of additional funding to leverage from other avenues, be it private sector, national government and even other international organisations to make our 50 year plan happen. This may mean that the Department appoints specific staff to be responsible for primarily for this aspect of drawing in funds into the Department.

It is important that all projects strengthen each other and work in a coherent manner. The Department financially assists various projects in the region that do not necessarily all speak to each other. In the future it is important that we maximise the outputs of the projects that we fund and harness the most out of the benefits reaped from the project across the province.

It is important that as we strive for excellence in the Western Cape, that our departmental approach to economic development and as such SMME development, that it follows a sectoral approach. This means that we target our regions strengths and capture new opportunities where we see potential for inroads. This will depend on our ability to know the global environment. The department will be an industry watch and have sectoral intelligence to assist with planning and implementation of new ideas.

It is essential that the Department be knowledgeable of both the domestic and global environment in which we operate. The Department needs to the resourced, so that information is unavailable to the public and us. This will entail developing research, collecting data and working closely with partners and industry players to understand trends. The department will need to maintain a database of our stakeholders, shareholders, private sector partners, community partners, projects and any other significant information.

Developing a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation is pivotal to the continuation of small business in South Africa. Because entrepreneurship was not fostered in the South African disadvantaged community over the past few decades, it is important to bring concept to the schools, so that the children may be the custodians of entrepreneurial values in the future. However, alongside this effort, is a parallel process of skilling and training the unemployed people and this is equally necessary. The development of our human capital is an immediate concern for the Department because of the far-reaching implications of this new structural poverty through unemployment.

Finally, it is most important that the Department has in place, an effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation process - not only to evaluate ourselves constantly to determine value and cost benefit but also to engage with projects and other initiatives. Only when we constantly scrutinise ourselves and that with which we keep ourselves busy, can we truly optimise development in our economy.