Township businesses urged to use tech like AI to grow

The Township Entrepreneur Agency (TEA) recently hosted its annual Kasi Tech Summit, a gathering of 400 township entrepreneurs at East Bank Hall in Alexandra on September 30th. The summit, themed "Tech and AI Skills for Kasi Entrepreneurs," aimed to encourage township businesses to adopt AI tools and adapt to emerging technologies.

TEA CEO and founder Bulelani Balabala explained that the initiative provides entrepreneurs with training, educates them, grants access to markets and development, and demonstrates how tools like Microsoft Copilot, Azure, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams can benefit their businesses. Microsoft South Africa's senior technical specialist Sibusiso Tyatya showcased how Microsoft 365 Copilot can be utilized across various business functions, emphasizing the potential for technology to create value and support growth across generations and markets.

The summit also featured a panel discussion on technology-driven business development, with panellists Morekolodi Salema, Keletso Lekwakwe, and Brian Magwaza discussing how township entrepreneurs could gain access to technology and understand where their data is being stored. The initiative is supported by corporate partners, including Microsoft and Telkom FutureMakers, and has reached 134,620 micro-enterprises, providing grant funding to over 600 businesses.

TEA, which began as Intercessor Army Franchising in 2006, has been operating township-focused programs since 2015, with plans to revitalize its university and high school program under the name "Hustle" in the coming year.