NINE entities that routinely help Namibia's small and medium enterprise (SME) sector grow business and create jobs have booked time slots at the upcoming annual SMEs Service Providers Seminar next month.

He expects the number to grow, Danny Meyer of SMEs Compete said yesterday.

A side event of the annual Namibia SME Expo '12, the SME Service Providers Seminar is a platform for organisations providing capacity building support to SMEs, to introduce wealth and employment creations services offered.

The event takes place on August 2 and runs from 09:00 to 18:00.

The umbrella event, Namibia SME Expo, now in its seventh year, will be held at Nampower Convention Centre in Windhoek from August 1 to 3. The event serves to showcase the SME sector and promotes business linkages between small enterprises and corporate firms, parastatals, government departments and municipalities.

"In addition to the main sponsors of the event, First National Bank of Namibia, Bank Windhoek and the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), other service providers who have already booked to make presentations are Telecom Namibia, Namibia Procurement Fund and the Namibia Preferential Procurement Council, Meyer said.

Two business sector representative bodies, the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and the Namibian Employers' Federation (NEF), have also booked time slots.

Meyer said organisations aligned to Namibia's two main tertiary institutions and other institutions who work with entrepreneurs generally and with the SME sector specifically, have been invited.

"Entry to the SME Service Providers Seminar is free, open to those already in business and to budding or novice entrepreneurs, as well as students planning to venture into business," he said.