The #SMMEs operating in the #Health, #Education, #Agriculture and #Tourism (#HEAT) sectors that have been selected from various #SADC countries by the Southern African Innovation Support Programme (#SAIS) and the Research Institute of Innovation and Sustainability (#RIIS) to participate in the second Regional Connect project are graduating this week (17-21 August).

Regional Connect is a SADC wide technological platform used to identify positive impact driven entrepreneurs across the region and to match them with business opportunities that solve social challenges in health, education, agriculture and tourism.

The second Regional Connect has trained over 40 start ups, and among those, 18 winners have been selected across the HEAT sectors to undergo a 3 month incubation program offered by the Botswana Institute for Technology, Research and Innovation (#BITRI). The winners were also provided with opportunities for investor discussions and market access.

As a partner selected to be part of this ecosystem to boost innovation in the SADC region, SME TradeLinks is part of the closeout programme and will be sharing its experiences working with SMMEs in the tourism sector in South Africa. We look forward to the virtual panel discussions tomorrow.