Enterprise development in South Africa is a complex task, but an absolute, positive necessity. South Africa suffers from a shortage of decent jobs, the pace of transformation lags expectations and disadvantaged groups remain economically underrepresented. This is most apparent in townships, where the distortions entrenched by apartheid persist 20 years after democracy. Township entrepreneurs face […]

Enterprise development programmes can range in scope and shape but should be supported by a significant body of research and agreed to objectives by initiating stakeholders at the minimum, in describing the importance of the strategy formulation phase in brief. For programmes that are located within township communities, there are several principles that can be […]

Enterprises are made by their background, either in opposition to or because of it, and have certain societal benefits. The shape of South Africa’s economy and society has been forged by its collective history. Apartheid was designed to uplift one group of South Africans over all the others. Today, while legislated inequality is a ruin […]

South Africa’s economy, 25 years after the official end of apartheid, is structurally imbalanced. The dominance of limited number of players in different sectors is a vestige of the apartheid era, a status quo that must be changed for South Africa to be able to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. SMME […]

Enterprise development is a complex, long term process that seeks to raise entrepreneurs with potential to a level where they can potentially make an impact on the market. Critically, the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) sector in South Africa is a diverse segment capable of rapid innovation and fulfilling local needs. Mentoring and mentorship […]

When developing an enterprise or supplier development (ESD) programme, the process used to select participating entrepreneurs naturally influences everything else that will follow. As such, it is absolutely critical that such a process be thorough, methodical and strategically designed. The overall framework that will craft your selection criteria will be based in part on the […]

Enterprise and supplier development (ESD) is important to South Africa’s economic future. South Africa requires an economy that create jobs, reduce inequality and alleviate poverty and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) can play a key role in achieving this goal. They are more conducive to innovation given their organisational dexterity, capable of serving consumer […]

Crafting an effective enterprise and supplier development (ESD) strategy is a multi-dimensional process where each formulation stage informs the other. A driving thought of developing the right strategy for a chosen supplier is finding the areas where strategic sourcing and economic development can create opportunities for inclusion. Designing a strategy can occur in three distinct […]

Enterprise and supplier development (ESD) within South Africa faces unique restrictions, particularly previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs. While apartheid itself is firmly in the rear view mirror of the past, the structural imbalances it produced in South Africa’s economy, both intentional and unforeseen, still persist today. The purpose of South Africa’s policy framework, which targets enterprise and […]

Contrary to South Africa’s recent slate of poor economic growth, it has over the past two decades shown overall improvements, boosting living standards and reducing poverty nationwide. However, significant reforms are necessary to accelerate growth and create a self-sustaining platform for the country. South Africa, through the National Development Plan (NDP) aims to eliminate poverty […]