Johannesburg – Moses Anibaba OBE, Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the British Council, answers your questions about the British Council’s free Creative Economy E-Learning Programme.
What is the Creative Economy E-Learning Programme?
This programme is a selection of free and easy to access courses for aspiring and early-stage young African entrepreneurs, themed around the creative economy and social enterprise sectors which are important means both of offering livelihoods to marginalized communities but also as means to improving communities. We have developed this programme to support the British Council’s wider Creative Economy strand, designed to help develop an ecosystem for the next generation of African leaders.
How will this course benefit me as a South African entrepreneur?
South Africa has a population of almost 53 million and has the second largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, youth unemployment is amongst the highest in the world, making it an important socio-economic issue and the main theme around all of our programming activity there. This course provides the tools for young South African entrepreneurs to take employment into their own hands and showcase their culture and creativity.
How is the course structured?
It’s online and there are no deadlines on modules meaning you can complete the course at any time. The course consists of three modules: the first is “Creative Entrepreneurship,” the second is “Impact through Creative Entrepreneurship,” and the last is “Creative Economy Policy.” Each module walks you through your entrepreneurship journey and provides you with key insight to kickstart your creative idea.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business and doing the course at the same time?
Ask yourself: what is the purpose of this venture I am embarking on? Why do I really want to set up this business? Purpose or the ‘why’ goes to the heart of your motivation; it is the one thing that will keep you moving forward and striving for success when things get challenging and difficult- which they will. The most enduring and impactful businesses have a purpose beyond just making money for oneself or getting by and you must be honest, test and be clear as to the purpose/why and vision for the business as you start off. You also don’t need to have it all perfect from the start, it can and does evolve and get refined over time, the more you research and work on the business.
What equipment do I need to do the course?
The course can be completed on a laptop, mobile phone or any other device. Our partners at Microsoft have optimized the course website so that even phones with poor reception can access the course. As always, the British Council Creative Economy Team will always be on hand via email to answer any questions you may have.
Where do I sign up?
For more information and to sign up, visit this website here.
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