25 February 2026

  • Programme Director,
  • Representatives from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition,
  • Colleagues from the North-West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism,
  • Partners from North-West Development Corporation, Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency and other government departments and entities,
  • SMME owners, Distinguished stakeholders, Productivity SA colleagues,
    Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the North-West Workplace Challenge Programme Milestone Event.

We gather at a particularly important time in our country’s economic journey. Just days ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the 2026 State of the Nation Address, placing economic growth, entrepreneurship and job creation firmly at the centre of South Africa’s development agenda.

The President reaffirmed that sustainable employment will not come from government alone, it will come from growing competitive businesses, strengthening small enterprises, and unlocking industrial potential across provinces like the North West.

This is precisely where the Workplace Challenge Programme becomes both relevant and urgent.

For 27 years, funded by the dtic and administered by Productivity SA, the Workplace Challenge Programme has supported enterprises to improve productivity, strengthen competitiveness and secure jobs. Through Kaizen methodologies, skills development, cluster development and continuous improvement systems, we enable companies not only to survive, but to compete and grow.

In his address, the President highlighted the expansion of the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has created millions of work opportunities, particularly for youth and women. He also emphasised enhanced support for small businesses through improved access to funding, reduced regulatory barriers, and strengthened industrial development initiatives.

These national priorities align directly with our work here today. Because productivity is not an abstract concept, it is the foundation of sustainable job creation. In the North- West Province, economic challenges remain real and pressing. High unemployment levels, particularly among young people. Limited diversification beyond mining and traditional sectors. Underutilised industrial parks and constrained growth among SMMEs in rural districts such as Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and Ngaka Modiri Molema.

If we are to meaningfully respond to the President’s call for inclusive growth, we must strengthen enterprise performance at grassroots level.

In the 2024/25 financial year:

  • 104 enterprises were supported across the province.
  • 113 entrepreneurs were capacitated.
  • 17 Productivity Champions were trained.
  • Kaizen interventions were implemented across key districts.

These figures represent real businesses becoming more efficient. They represent operational waste being reduced. They represent improved quality, stronger systems and better cost management. And most importantly, they represent jobs being protected and created.

However, we must also acknowledge the challenges. Acquisition levels for the Workplace Challenge and our other programme, the Business Turnaround and Recovery programme, remain lower than desired. Greater alignment is required to prioritise supported enterprise pipelines. Stronger collaboration is needed between Productivity SA, provincial departments, development agencies and industrial park management structures.

Our Memorandum of Understanding with the North-West Department of Economic Development until 2029 provides a strong framework. But impact depends on execution, which entails enrolling more enterprises, embedding productivity support within SEZs and industrial parks such as Bodirelo, Garankuwa, Babelegi and Platinum Valley.

The President spoke about moving from promises to performance. That transition begins with enterprise-level discipline. The companies that are presenting todayoday’s presenting companies embody that commitment:

  • Mmamothofela Catering Solutions, a proudly black women-owned enterprise strengthening operational systems.
  • Tsoga O Itirele Mini Bakery, implementing structured improvement to reduce waste and enhance quality in Taung.
  • My Dream Bakery, a 100% woman-owned business demonstrating that productivity principles apply to enterprises of every size.

These are not large corporates.
They are community-based businesses.
They are employment anchors.
They are proof that when productivity improves, dignity improves.

Our theme today, “From Our Roots, We Rise: Strengthening Performance, Partnerships, and Impact” — is not symbolic.

Our roots are in partnerships, in the collaboration with the dtic and provincial stakeholders and in supporting enterprises where they operate — in townships, villages and industrial parks.

From those roots, we rise by strengthening performance, by deepening partnerships and by creating measurable, sustainable impact.

As Productivity SA, we remain committed to:

  • Supporting entrepreneurship as a vehicle for employment creation
  • Embedding productivity capacity within the District Development Model
  • Training Productivity Champions to remove bottlenecks in strategic interventions that stimulate bigger impact — such as job creation, new investment, industrial growth, or infrastructure development.
  • Strengthening industrial competitiveness in line with national priorities

If South Africa is to achieve the growth and employment outcomes outlined in the State of the Nation Address, productivity must become a culture, not an intervention. It is our aim that this milestone event not only celebrate progress, but recommit us to scale, coordination and impact. North-West enterprises must not merely participate in the economy. They must compete. They must innovate and they must grow.

Productivity is not about working harder. It is about working smarter.
It is about eliminating waste, strengthening systems, and unlocking human potential. As we engage today, let us recommit to collaboration. Let us recommit to measurable impact. And let us ensure that North -West enterprises do not merely participate in the economy, but thrive.

I thank you and wish you a productive and inspiring milestone workshop.