oa Africa Journal of Public Sector Development and Governance - Business incubation as a job creation model : a comparative study of business incubators supported by the South African Jobs Fund - research

Abstract

Business incubation is a concept and practice aimed at nurturing start-up enterprises to achieve success. The practice of incubation is well grounded in South African business practice, as evidenced by the existence of an Association of Business Incubators in the country. The main reason for this is that it has been well established that the failure rate of start-up businesses in the country is very high; with some studies estimating rates as high as 60 and 80 per cent (Ndabeni 2008). It is assumed that start-up entrepreneurs are more successful if they are well prepared and supported in the early stages of their business.