Elan Property - Shift Africa

2020-02-20

Shift Africa is an eLan Property Group initiative, that combines corporate social responsibility with general business sense. Shift Africa empowers existing and
prospective business owners, with the objective of creating as many sustainable small businesses as possible around a catalytic hub. Through various business hubs, starting at Blythedale on the North Coast, this initiative will provide small businesses with opportunities, training, and connections, in their bid to become autonomous and selfsustainable.

Instead of creating 100 000 temporary jobs at and around Blythedale, Shift Africa aims to create around 4096 permanent businesses, through our 84 model. Shift Africa Business Expo 2020 is to be held in partnership with Enterprise ILembe. eLan Property Group will also be working with FNB Fundaba, in pursuit of our common business empowerment goal, to create permanent wealth through business creation and formalisation.

Shift Africa Expo – 4-5 April 2020, Blythedale Coastal Estate The Shift Africa Expo is structured according to the Shift Africa Business Model – that is, one central business hub, from which eight pillars emerge.

These eight pillars make up the different industries within which small businesses can be grown and nurtured. The Expo will be held at Blythedale Coastal Estate (central hub), and business exhibitors will be physically grouped according to the category/pillar they fall under. The above dates represent the main expo, thereafter a scaled down expo will be open every weekend for the whole of April.

Shift Africa in a Nutshell
Shift Africa represents a fundamental change in which upliftment is viewed in South Africa. This is a potential solution to “upliftment through ownership”, where small businesses are given the chance to grow and thrive in a system centered on various business hubs. One business hub, for example a residential estate, can be the catalyst for the emergence and sustenance of SMMEs and informal sector businesses in the business hub’s region of operation. We have identified
eight pillars which emerge from each business hub, and from those pillars emerge a range of business activities, each of which can become its own business. Shift Africa assists in the setting up, then provides the training, sources of funding, and support which drives these businesses to success. In return, the investor gets a share of the profit. Shift Africa is not an NGO – the concept is geared towards business and profit, for all parties. Each and every category on the lowest level will be occupied by as many businesses as can be sustainable, preventing over-saturation. Every party is motivated by profit, and the model will be very sustainable.

How It Works
A business hub acts as a catalyst for new development, the first such hub being Blythedale Coastal Estate. From a business hub emerge eight key pillars, classified as:
1. Infrastructure and Construction
2. Education and Training
3. Tourism and Travel
4. Manufacturing
5. Services and Retail
6. Health and Wellness
7. Land, Agricultural, and Environment
8. Safety and Security

Every one of these primary pillars has eight secondary pillars supporting its operation, which in turn all have tertiary pillars supporting their operation, which all have micro pillars supporting them. Each category and pillar represent a different business. The Expo will match relevant, existing businesses with categories or pillars and get every potential business owner a head start in their preferred industry. From there, Shift Africa nurtures, trains and supports these business owners, allowing them, and all Shift Africa members, to flourish within the framework.

This event at Blythedale will be the springboard for a whole host of new and existing small businesses in the North Coast region. Come show your support at Blythedale Coastal Estate, where Shift Africa is formalising the informal sector. 

W: www.elan.co.za