Entrepreneurial Planning Institute (EPI) – Digibiz Programme

About EPI

The Entrepreneurial Planning Institute (EPI) is a non-profit organisation drawing on over a century of combined experience in developing & implementing ESD projects & entrepreneurship programmes in South Africa.

How the RISA Fund grant will be used

EPI’s project aims to accelerate small business growth in townships, rural areas and amongst excluded groups like women and youth, through increased uptake of new technology, and digitalisation of business processes and entrepreneurship support services.

It hopes to contribute to GDP and participation by woman/youth and township/rural small businesses, an uptake in new technologies by township/rural-based and woman/youth-led small businesses; and impact poverty levels in townships and rural areas, and amongst socially excluded groups.

The programme covers two levels of engagement with key stakeholders in the research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, namely:

  • With close programme implementation collaborators in the form of two public sector universities and a civil society organisation;
  • Programme participants from universities, government agencies, private sector initiatives, professional bodies and the local entrepreneurial landscape.