As we approach Nelson Mandela Day on Friday July 18, I am reminded of Madiba’s timeless words: “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.”
Celebrated globally, Mandela Day inspires millions to dedicate 67 minutes to service, honouring Nelson Mandela’s legacy. But what if we reimagined this day as a launchpad for sustained action, volunteering skills to empower youth and women entrepreneurs and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset to drive economic change?
In SA and beyond, this could transform communities, starting with the most marginalised.
SA's youth face new oppression: systemic unemployment and economic exclusion. The loss of 291,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2025, including 119,000 in construction, underscores the urgency of reimagining opportunities. More than 70-million young people are jobless worldwide.
This Mandela Day let’s volunteer expertise to informal, micro, and small businesses and cultivate the mindset needed to create sustainable futures.
Volunteering skills to small businesses is a global norm. In the US, Taproot Foundation connects professionals – accountants, marketers, IT specialists – to micro-entrepreneurs, helping them scale. In Kenya, TechnoServe pairs advisers with youth- and women-led ventures, refining business models and unlocking markets. In India, Mentor Together supports young entrepreneurs with mentorship, boosting economic growth.
These efforts are strategic investments that create jobs and spark innovation. SA, with its vibrant township and rural economies, can adopt this model, and Mandela Day can ignite this movement worldwide.
In SA, informal, micro, and small businesses are the lifeblood of places such as Katlehong, Gugulethu, and Malamulele. Globally, women-run micro-enterprises account for 30% of small businesses in developing economies, yet they face skills gaps in financial planning, digital marketing, and logistics.
Imagine professionals in Johannesburg, London, or Nairobi volunteering a few hours monthly to mentor a young entrepreneur in Gqeberha or a women-led cooperative in Kigali. This Mandela Day, let’s commit to sharing expertise, transforming small businesses from survival to success, and creating jobs.
Skills alone, however, aren’t enough. We must foster an entrepreneurial mindset, a way of thinking that embraces opportunity, resilience, and innovation. This mindset includes: Problem-solving: Turning challenges like food insecurity into opportunities for agro-processing startups; Resilience: Persisting through setbacks, vital in SA where 64% of youth are unemployed and globally where economic volatility persists; Initiative: Acting without waiting for permission, breaking free from the job-seeker trap that limits potential; and Adaptability: Thriving in a world of digital transformation and global markets, from township tech hubs to global e-commerce platforms.
This mindset is critical because it empowers youth and women to become architects of their futures. Degrees no longer guarantee jobs. Globally, 40% of graduates are underemployed. An entrepreneurial mindset equips people to create opportunities through startups, social enterprises, or community projects. It’s the difference between waiting for a job and building a legacy.
Global leaders show how to make this real. Singapore embeds entrepreneurship in primary schools via junior achievement, fostering innovation early. Rwanda’s Hanga Pitchfest connects young entrepreneurs to investors, building a culture of enterprise. Germany’s dual education system blends vocational training with entrepreneurial skills, aligning with market needs. In Brazil, Sebrae supports micro-entrepreneurs with training and mentorship, empowering women and youth. These nations prioritise entrepreneurship.
SA can follow suit, inspiring a global movement this Mandela Day.
Here’s how we can start on July 18 2025: Embed entrepreneurship in education: Revamp curricula to prioritise problem-solving and financial literacy. In SA, programmes like the Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development (YLED) NPO, training 200 youth annually with mini-enterprises, and Junior Achievement SA (Jasa), mentoring hundreds in schools, show what’s possible. We can and should scale such to every classroom.
Launch volunteer skills networks: Create platforms like SA’s proposed “Skills for Growth” to match professionals with youth- and women-led businesses, mirroring Taproot.
Build innovation hubs: Invest in community-based incubators offering mentorship and digital tools. In SA, connect Soweto entrepreneurs to global markets via platforms like the G20’s Youth 20 (Y20).
Redefine success: Celebrate entrepreneurs like SA’s Nomso Kana, innovating in fibre optics, or Ntuthuko Shezi, a trailblazer since age seven. Globally, highlight figures like Kenya’s Wanjira Maathai, advancing sustainability, to inspire youth.
Shift policy: Move entrepreneurship to the core of economic strategy. SA’s E³ programme revolutionises entrepreneurship education. Advocate for tax incentives for businesses mentoring youth and friendlier tax policies to help micro-entrepreneurs formalise, addressing a global barrier to growth.
This Mandela Day, let’s reimagine Madiba’s legacy as a global call to action.
Dr Zwane is a Nelson Mandela scholar and managing executive: group corporate citizenship at Absa Group. He writes in his personal capacity
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