Allan Gray Makers puts artisan entrepreneurship at the heart of the fight against unemployment

Fusion Fest 2026 brings experts and artisan entrepreneurs to spearhead job creation

Johannesburg, September 2026 – South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is growing, with almost one in every two young people in the labour force unable to find a job. Allan Gray Makers is working to change this by supporting artisan entrepreneurship and helping young people use their skills to start businesses to contribute to economic growth.

Under the theme “Catalysing South Africa’s Artisan Ecosystem,” they hosted Fusion Fest 2026 in Kempton Park, bringing together artisans and industry experts to discuss innovative solutions to grow the artisan sector. The event focused on how better access to skills, funding, markets and business support can help young artisans use their skills run successful businesses and create jobs in their communities.

With youth unemployment at 47.4%, the need for new ways to create jobs has become crucial. Through entrepreneurship and with the right support it can assist people to earn a living while building businesses to address the root cause of lack of jobs.

“By 2035, South Africa will have a coordinated trades entrepreneurial ecosystem catalysing the launch of 200 000 and growth of 20,000 artisan-led trades businesses,” says Seth Mulli, Programme Director of Allan Gray Makers.

Reflecting from Fusion Fest 2025, he says they assessed the ecosystem against ten conditions: institutions, culture, networks, infrastructure, demand, intermediaries, talent, knowledge, leadership and finance.

“We consolidated ten conditions into five goals — not because the system became simpler, but because shared action must become clearer. Five goals that can be owned, resourced and measured,” Mulli adds.

Five conditions for a different future

First: Connected: Actors know each other and who is doing what This is an ecosystem built on trust and alignment, where ideas, referrals and capital move more freely — and where we stop duplicating effort while gaps remain untouched.

Second: Evidence-led: Research and shared learning across the sector A National Trades Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Intelligence Dashboard is live, trusted and regularly used. We move from anecdotes about artisans to shared evidence that shapes policy, programme design, funding and coordinated action.

Third: Talent-rich: pipeline producing artisans, and artisan entrepreneurs More young people do not merely hear about the trades — they choose TVET colleges, apprenticeships and pathways that can lead to employment and enterprise.

Fourth: Entrepreneur-friendly: Support, finance and markets for trade businesses More Artisan led ventures are starting and growing. That requires business support that fits artisan enterprises, finance that reflects their real risk, and markets that reward quality, credibility and compliance.

Fifth: A culture of responsible entrepreneurship: Artisans respected, visible and aspired to

Responsible artisan entrepreneurs are visible in schools, communities, media and economy — not as a fallback story, but as builders of businesses, livelihoods and national capability.

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