Bethlehem Basic Training Project - BBTP

https://www.absa.africa/absa-youth-entrepreneurship-fund/

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Official launch of the ABSA Youth Entrepreneurship Fund
June 2026, Johannesburg

Today marks the official launch of the Absa Youth Entrepreneurship Fund (AYEF), a catalytic programme designed to startup, grow and scale youth owned businesses poised to create jobs. The fund, delivered by Tshiamo Foundation, addresses the critical finance gap that leaves early-stage youth-led businesses underserved despite their vital role in driving job creation in South Africa.



Young entrepreneurs need a partner who backs them precisely when support is hardest to find. South Africa’s early-stage entrepreneurial ecosystem is characterised by vibrant innovation but constrained by systemic barriers such as:

Limited access to start-up finance,
Inadequate business support and mentorship,
Fragmented ecosystem linkages,
Barriers to scaling within township, rural and informal markets.
This happens, even though micro and small enterprises generate 60–70% of net new jobs, youth entrepreneurs receive less than 5% of enterprise finance due to systemic barriers such as:

Lack of collateral
Short or informal trading history
Misalignment with traditional banking risk thresholds


The Solution: AYEF’s Support Model

The Absa Youth Entrepreneurship Fund is a catalytic programme combining conditional grant funding with hand-on, non-financial support that moves young entrepreneurs from a working idea to a marketable, sustainable business. Entrepreneurs enter through an online application process and are placed into into key pathways that match their business maturity:

Ideation - early-stage entrepreneurs who can demonstrate a viable business idea, a prototype, or informal trading activity.
Start-up - demonstrate revenue-generating activity and basic regulatory compliance
Growth - high-potential enterprises exhibiting a strong revenue trajectory
Entrepreneurs who are selected are channelled into key enterprise development pathways, financing and follow-on support so the journey does not end when the programme does.

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What the Programme Is

The programme is national and supports 165 young South African entrepreneurs over a twelve-month period. It is sector agnostic and built around three concurrent stages of support, matched to where each business actually is. Entrepreneurs are recruited together at intake and placed into the stage that fits their business maturity, so support meets each founder where they are.

Ideation

This stage is for entrepreneurs with an early business and some initial traction, focused on building the foundations of a viable enterprise.

Start-up

This stage is for businesses that are trading and ready to formalise, strengthen operations, and grow.

Early Growth

This stage is for established young businesses ready to move from founder-led delivery to a team, with deeper capital and strategic support.



What the Programme Offers

The Fund provides a blend of financial and non-financial support. The financial support is conditional grants released against agreed plans. The non-financial support tailored to each stage includes:

One-on-one strategic and founder support
Financial management and governance strengthening
Leadership and management capability development
Capacity-building across business model, customer discovery, and market access
Peer support and learning within the cohort and the wider Absa entrepreneurship ecosystem


Implementation

Tshiamo Foundation is the implementing organization appointed by Absa to deliver the AYEF. Tshiamo Foundation is a registered non-profit company and part of the Tshiamo Group, alongside Tshiamo Impact Partners. The Foundation provides access to catalytic capital, through early-stage support for black entrepreneurs. The Absa Youth Entrepreneurship Fund sits within the Foundation's work of backing young founders at the earliest, hardest stage of building a business.



Applications

Applications open in August 2026. Application details and links will be shared through the official launch channels closer to the time. For any questions or aligned ecosystem partnership opportunities, you can reach us at [email protected]

The Absa Youth Entrepreneurship Fund is an investment in South Africa’s next generation of job creators, the founders who will employ others, anchor their communities, and build businesses that last.

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Please note that we are fully booked for this quarter. The next intake will be in June 2026

Competition Time
The Student Success Competition— only 2 winners will walk away with a 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘 for themselves or someone they care about!
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿:
Share how your BBTP course helped you succeed
Narrate your story on how the course has shaped you and what you are currently doing
Include a photo of your work or a reference
Submit your entry by 30 April 2026
Only 2 winners will be chosen
Winners announced: 30 April 2026
You can keep the course OR gift it to someone in need!
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥:
Celebrate your success
Build your personal or business brand
Inspire your community
Win another chance to level up your skills
Submit now: [email protected]
Next intake: 01 June 2026— seats are limited!
Take the shot. Change your life.

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for enquires please reach out to +27 70 666 0320

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Training on the Job

We teach real skills.

We are looking for our former student by the name of Bandile Ndebele. may he please share his working contact number.

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