HUMANSDORP – Excitement filled the air at the Halalisana Township Incubator in Humansdorp as 25 township-based entrepreneurs gathered for a Digital Marketing and Branding Training session hosted by the Kouga Local Municipality’s Economic Development Unit.
The initiative forms part of the municipality’s ongoing drive to equip local small businesses with the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly digital economy.
Each entrepreneur arrived with a dream – to grow their business and expand their reach.
What awaited them was a workshop that promised to reshape how they saw both their businesses and the vast digital world around them.
Earlier workshops, hosted in partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and SEDFA, had focused on business administration and financial management.
Participants learned to use record-keeping tools such as SMEasy, an accounting software for which the ECDC subsidised their first subscription.
However, as the sessions progressed, a shared challenge became clear: while many of the entrepreneurs offered excellent products and services, most struggled to make their voices heard online.
The digital marketplace – vast, fast-moving and full of potential – felt out of reach.
To bridge that gap, the Digital Marketing and Branding Training was designed as a practical, hands-on learning experience that brought the digital economy within reach for township entrepreneurs.
Inside the training room, the energy was infectious. Participants immersed themselves in a range of topics, including:
· Digital Branding and Marketing Fundamentals
· Social Media and LinkedIn Optimisation
· Graphic Design using Canva
· AI Tools for Content Creation and Automation
· Website Building using AI-Powered Platforms
Each session was practical and engaging, allowing entrepreneurs to apply what they learned in real time. With laptops open and ideas flowing, they experimented with creating social media content, designing promotional material, and building brand identities suited for online audiences.
For many, the experience was transformative.
“Now my business will be visible to the right customers. I didn’t know all this was possible without needing to hire expensive agencies,” said one participant proudly – a local culinary enthusiast known for her famous calamari dishes in St Francis Bay.
The training, facilitated by Genies-Yus AI, concluded with a Certificate of Completion ceremony – celebrating not only new knowledge but newfound confidence.
This initiative is part of Kouga Municipality’s broader vision to build sustainable, competitive small enterprises across all nine towns.
Through partnerships with ECDC and SEDFA, the Economic Development Unit is paving the way for the establishment of Small Business Hubs throughout Kouga.
A comprehensive business plan has already been developed to align with government and development funding opportunities.
Kouga Deputy Executive Mayor, Timothy Jantjes, praised the initiative as a cornerstone of the municipality’s inclusive growth strategy.
“Empowering our local entrepreneurs with digital skills is not just about keeping up with technology – it’s about unlocking new possibilities for growth, job creation and self-reliance,” said Jantjes.
“When our small businesses succeed, our communities thrive, and our local economy becomes stronger and more sustainable.”
The municipality extends heartfelt gratitude to all the entrepreneurs, partners, and facilitators who continue to make this shared vision a reality – one empowered business at a time.
