AN inspirational and informative economic development talk was held at Montlands Library on June 10 as part of the District 6 Libraries’ Economic Development Programme. The session aimed to inspire entrepreneurship, expand learning frontiers and build local economic resilience.

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Nkanyiso Mteshane, a librarian at Montlands Library, explained that the project was a means of creating positive change within the community.

“The programme was to inspire and empower young people and those looking for jobs, give hands-on guidance on job hunting and enterprise skills, and bridge gaps between the community and the key support services,” he said.

The presentation addressed four specific objectives, the encouragement of entrepreneurship, increased community participation, developing access to learning and tackling unemployment.

The programme was led by author and entrepreneur Namasina Zulu. She published her second book, Landing Your First Job, a work-readiness book of hands-on advice, earlier this year. Her first book, From Idea to Business, has already helped many individuals who want to be entrepreneurs in turning dreams into sustainable businesses. Mteshane said her input was an overload of information with handy tips.

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“Her speech motivated numerous people, particularly career aspirants and budding entrepreneurs, to take drastic steps in fulfilling their careers or businesses,” said Mteshane.

The programme also included Yanga Nyakeni of eThekwini Business Support, Nobukhosi Mkhombe of eThekwini Business Licensing, Khosi Sithole of eThekwini Supply Chain Management and Leslai Fortune of the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa). The speakers provided important details regarding accessing resources, dealing with municipal processes and availing themselves as support services for small enterprises and employment seekers.

Though the talk was well attended by community members, Mteshane did note there was a lower youth participation than he imagined. He added that getting youth involved in their programmes is something they will work on going forward.

As District 6 Libraries continue to host events, they continue to serve as hubs for learning and development.

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