Delegates from 88 nations gather to set the table for Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.

Congress held in conjunction with HCT Global Entrepreneurship 2010 Conference.

Johannesburg - March 12, 2010) – Junior Achievement South Africa has been selected to represent South Africa at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Dubai and joins leaders in entrepreneurship from 88 countries – including top universities, non-profit organizations, successful entrepreneurs, government agencies and business leaders – to advance the spirit of entrepreneurship and share strategies for fostering its growth.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress was held on March 9-11 at the Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai Men’s College. Some of the world's foremost business and entrepreneurial leaders celebrated and investigated the spirit of entrepreneurship, including H.E. Nika Gilauri, Prime Minister of Georgia; Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York; and Carl Schramm, President & CEO Kauffman Foundation (USA).

Each delegate will represent his or her nation during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), an annual celebration that inspires millions of innovative young people around the world to pursue enterprising new ventures. The Congress serves as the forum for sharing best practices from around the world and to develop new ideas for GEW in 2010—assembling the current and future leaders behind the GEW movement who during Global Entrepreneurship Week can only virtually connect as they oversee their national campaigns in nearly 100 nations.  The Congress provides an opportunity to look back at how this movement has evolved and why it will expand in years to come.

“The Global Entrepreneurship Congress is a unique face-to-face gathering of nearly every nation within the GEW movement, where on an equal footing no nation is too small to have the best new ideas,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Week and lead organizer of the Congress.

GEW engages students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and others who participate in a range of activities, from online to face-to-face, and from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings. Co-founded in 2008 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the United States and Enterprise UK, a business-led, government-backed campaign in the United Kingdom, GEW is designed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. More than seven million people participated in 32,000 events in 88 nations in GEW 2009.

“The success of Global Entrepreneurship Week is built upon on the tremendous role our country hosts play in inspiring young people to believe in themselves and bring their business ideas to fruition,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “The Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Dubai is an extraordinary gathering to celebrate our achievements and showcase proven ideas that will take entrepreneurship to even greater heights.”

GEW in South Africa has been led by Junior Achievement and Endeavor South Africa. This was done through a series of events that aimed to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit among young people where Junior Achievement SA partnered with companies such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the City of Joburg to deliver an entrepreneurial workshop to 80 Grade 10 – 11. 

“We are proud to be once again part of the GEW and see it as one step forward in setting the entrepreneurial spirit alight in young people” says Linda McClure, Managing Director, Junior Achievement SA.

To view a complete list of participating countries and organizations, or to learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.unleashingideas.org.

About Junior Achievement South Africa
The purpose of Junior Achievement SA is to prepare young people for life after school by raising their awareness of economic issues, teaching them entrepreneurial and life skills, providing them with an understanding of the business world and enhancing their sense of personal responsibility through practical business experience. By contributing to their personal growth, we improve the employability and business capacity of young people.

About Global Entrepreneurship Week
With the goal to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity, Global Entrepreneurship Week will encourage youth to think big, turn their ideas into reality, and make their mark. From Nov. 16-22, 2009, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and seek better ways of doing things. Tens of thousands of activities are being planned in dozens of countries. Global Entrepreneurship Week is founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK. For more information, visit www.unleashingideas.org, and follow @unleashingideas on Twitter.

About Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. It also works to prepare students to be innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the 21st century economy through initiatives designed to improve learning in math, engineering, science and technology. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo. and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow @kauffmanfdn on Twitter.

About Enterprise UK
Enterprise UK was founded in 2004 by the British Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses, funded mostly by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. It started its work with young people under a campaign called Make Your Mark that encouraged enterprising activity amongst 14 – 30 year olds. That campaign was so successful that it wanted to reach out to new people of all ages and backgrounds, fresh thinkers who spot opportunities, apply entrepreneurial talents and overcome the obstacles to make ideas happen—and arranged these programs under a new brand, Enterprise UK. For more information visit www.enterpriseuk.org, and follow @makeyourmark on Twitter.