Because South Africa’s greatest opportunity is its youth—and its most underutilised growth engine is its SMEs. Recent research by TIPS indicates that in 2024 South Africa had almost 700 000 formal sector small businesses, defined as those with under 50 employees each. In other words, the majority of South Africa’s workplaces are in the small and medium-size category. This represents significant scope to markedly increase youth absorption into the country’s small workplaces.

Attending the #Mathub’Olusha Summit is a chance to be part of a visionary move to shape the future of youth employment in South Africa. The Summit offers a space to engage directly with SME leaders, policy influencers, education experts, funders, and innovators who are actively working to create opportunities for young people. Delegates will gain valuable insights from research on SME-youth engagement dynamics and benefit from shared experiences and case studies from both local and international contexts. Participants will also take part in interactive discussions and workshops that focus on real-world challenges and propose workable solutions. The Summit provides opportunities to network, collaborate, and co-create meaningful partnerships that will drive change beyond the event itself.

The #Mathub’Olusha Summit aims to facilitate meaningful dialogue and partnerships and seeks to identify the practical challenges that hinder youth employment in SMEs and to uncover opportunities for innovative solutions. The Summit will develop concrete, actionable strategies that can be implemented across sectors to enhance the capacity of SMEs to host, train, and empower young people. It also aims to spotlight successful models and practices, and to mobilise resources, partnerships, and sustained engagement for long-term implementation.