SMMEs should be supported using coordinated and targeted programmatic strategies in order to harness their full potential. Support strategies can be crafted based on key SMME categories that vary based on SMME tenure, growth phase and size. Four key categories for consideration include: Experienced professionals and SMMEs: These are entrepreneurs and SMMEs that have been […]
Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are an important vehicle to drive economic growth, job creation, and social development. Yet, SMME development in South Africa faces several hurdles as they seek to grow, with one potential avenue being a support ecosystem underpinned by large businesses. In this installment of Letsema Talks, Shenelle Nair, Engagement Manager […]
Developing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) as suppliers to larger businesses can be a catalyst for positive economic and social change. A four-pillar support approach is one way of creating sustainable long-term enterprises. A thought-out entrepreneur selection and screening process is a pre-requisite to ensuring a successful outcome of the four-pillar approach. This is […]
Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are widely recognised as the driving force of the South African economy. The National Development Plan (NDP) has stipulated actions to stimulate the growth and sustainability of the SMME market, envisaging that SMMEs will create 90% of new employment opportunities and contribute between 60-80% to national Gross Domestic Product […]
To say South Africa is in the middle of difficult economic times is stating the obvious. President Cyril Ramaphosa described youth unemployment as a national crisis, which is sitting at 55.2%. State Capture – Eskom the starkest example – and the private sector’s own regulatory ills are real. However, to further bemoan the regulatory environment, […]
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 […]
Approach, Plan & Method, Benefits, Enterprise Development, Insights, Supplier Development, Tools & Methods
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 […]
Activities & Initiatives, Approach, Plan & Method, Enterprise Development, Insights, Strategy, Supplier Development, Tools & Methods
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 […]
