When the Propella Business Incubator signed a working agreement with provincial development think tank EC Socio-Economic Consultative Council last week, it signalled more than a ceremonial handshake.
The occasion, held at the Regent in East London, announced an assault on a persistent weakness in the province’s approach to economic development: fragmentation.
Ecsecc, under the 2026 theme “Fetching the Future,” is positioning itself as a strategic convenor within the province’s innovation ecosystem.
CEO Luvuyo Mosana framed Friday’s Memorandum of Understanding as part of a broader shift in thinking.
Since 1994, equity has too often been associated with access to government tenders, he said.
But while procurement opened doors for many, it has done little to build a deeply rooted culture of innovation and scalable entrepreneurship.
The partnership with Propella — a Nelson Mandela Bay-based hub that nurtures startups with disruptive technologies in renewable energy and ICT — signals a whole new era ahead, he said.
With genuinely enabling innovation as the underlying aim, the new focus is on strengthening co-ordination between ecosystem players, and ensuring that young entrepreneurs understand how to navigate the system.
At the centre of this initiative is the idea of ecosystem “weaving”.
In practical terms, that means mapping out the institutions, incubators, funders, academia, development finance institutions, and business support organisations operating in the province — and making that information publicly accessible.
Access to information, said Mosana, is among the biggest barriers facing young entrepreneurs.
Support mechanisms exist, but they are useless if you don’t know where to find them or how to meet their requirements.
He pointed to the EC Development Corporation’s one-stop shop in East London as an example.
The infrastructure is in place, but how many have heard of it?
Reaching out
Financing is another obstacle, he added.
There are development finance institutions, like the Technology Innovation Agency, that finance and support entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into products that are ready for a value chain.
However, the application process is complex enough to discourage many, and the concept of “bankability” needs unpacking.
The Ecsecc and Propella partnership aims to simplify and translate these pathways into clearer, more practical steps.
Masakhane Mlamla, the head of Propella Business Incubator, is driven by the knowledge that the Eastern Cape has vast untapped potential.
Several innovations emerging from the province have been groundbreaking, including some firsts on the continent, he said.
Yet, these stories have not been brought to light or attracted investment.
Too often, working in silos is what weakens the province’s ability to attract direct investment, he added.
If infrastructure capabilities, research institutions, incubators and funding partners collaborated more deliberately, the region could present itself as a cohesive innovation destination rather than a collection of isolated initiatives.
To address this, the MOU includes the establishment of a programme management office under Ecsecc.
This structure will co-ordinate decision-making, map competencies across the province and identify where resources lie.
The goal is not merely dialogue, but active co-ordination between actors such as academia, various accelerators, tech transfer offices and business development organisations.
Building staying power
Research presented by Atlehang Nkotha, a researcher and postgraduate student in business management at Nelson Mandela University, added another layer to the discussion.
Her work maps entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in the Eastern Cape and identifies the structural pillars that support it.
A key finding is that programmes aimed at youth development do exist.
However, she says, participation and long-term commitment are weak and faltering.
She stressed the importance of sustainability and scalability in entrepreneurial thinking.
Opportunities may be increasing — but business readiness requires a lot more than that.
It requires discipline, the ability to sustain quality output and the stamina to build a business that can withstand market pressures.
She posed a challenging question: are young people prepared for the abundance that could emerge from stronger co-ordination?
In other words, institutional reform must be matched by personal readiness.
The event highlighted a dual challenge, Nkotha said.
On one hand, entrepreneurs need clear paths through coherent systems. This means the province must reduce systemic fragmentation and improve navigability.
On the other, young entrepreneurs need to approach available opportunities with seriousness and a commitment to building scalable enterprises.
The success of this partnership will be measured in time to come by whether friction in the system decreases.
If young entrepreneurs can clearly see who to approach, understand funding pathways, and receive co-ordinated support rather than conflicting advice, then ecosystem weaving may begin to show tangible results.
For a province sporting some of the highest youth unemployment figures in the world, strengthening the innovation ecosystem is not just necessary. It is urgent.
The question is whether 2026 becomes a year of meaningful structural alignment, or another chapter of well-intentioned talk-shops.
Fetching this kind of future will require more than vision, she said.
It will need systems that function and entrepreneurs who are prepared to meet them halfway.
- Dispatch business columnist Bohlale Buzani is an award-winning Mdantsane entrepreneur
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