Women-Focused Investment Is Essential to Economic Development

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Despite the relative sophistication of its economy and business environment, South Africa’s record in regards to its promotion of women in the business environment is poor.

If women are to take their place as equal citizens in South Africa, this must include their ability to run and to grow businesses.  Funders should be taking note.  After all, funding women-led start-ups is the key to economic development.

Owning a Small Business in South Africa

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A report from the World Bank shows that South Africa's labour market is small and stagnant, because job creation in the private sector is weak, especially among small and medium firms.

This sector [SME] would typically be a country’s main engine of job creation, but in South Africa, most job generation came from larger companies, the World Bank noted.

Where are small businesses making a contribution in South Africa?  Find out here.

Ambitious Women Are Unleashing Their Potential by Starting Businesses

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Foreign correspondent Tanzeel Akhtar talks to successful female entrepreneurs from Nigeria and South Africa to find out about their achievements and discover what motivates them.

Female entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa is rising rapidly, with a number of ambitious women defying the odds, going solo and unleashing their potential.

There are also a number of global initiatives supporting and propelling female-run businesses on the continent but the fact remains that there are still challenges women need to overcome.

For example:

In sub-Saharan Africa, at least 40% of the labour force is female, according to the Pew Research Centre.  However, 74% of women’s non-agricultural employment is informal, in contrast with 61% for men.

Read more about the wonderful stories of women who dare to dream.  Be inspired.

Is South Africa Out of Step on Global SME Growth Trends?

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Is South Africa a "complete outlier" internationally when it comes to employment creation by small and medium-sized enterprises?  It raises questions about possible policy and regulatory failure.

Initial findings of a new study by the Small Business Institute (SBI) and the Small Business Project (SBP), released on Tuesday, found SA has only 250,000 formal SMEs, less than previous estimates of between 2-million and 6-million.

Is South African completely out of step with global SME growth trends?  Read more.

How South Africa Is Building a Robust Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

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With the launch of Startup Nations South Africa (SA), the initiative joins a global network of Startup Nations such as Startup Britain, Startup Chile, Startup Malaysia, Startup China, Startup Norway, Startup Australia and more recently Startup Brazil, Startup Vietnam and Startup Korea.

The Startup Nations South Africa initiative is a collaborative effort by founding partners, The Innovation Hub, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Wits Business School, aimed at contributing towards building a robust entrepreneurship ecosystem and vibrant sustainable entrepreneurship culture.

Global entrepreneurship is crucial to the vitality and growth of a country and its people.

Read more:  SA Small Business Minister Launches Startup Nations South Africa Initiative

Photo:  Capetown, South Africa

Small Businesses Are Part of Solution to the World's Economic Slowdown

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ISBC, International Small Business Congress, opens in South Africa, the next growth frontier after Asia.

What is ISBC?

The International Small Business Congress (ISBC) gathers individuals from governments (policymakers), small business support agencies, entrepreneurs, business membership organizations, academia, financial institutions, international development agencies and various others with an interest in entrepreneurship and small business development around the world to discuss issues pertinent to the promotion of entrepreneurship and small business worldwide.

 South African Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies says:

"Small enterprises do not only provide economic opportunities for the runners and operators of those small and medium enterprises, but also many of the new jobs that are created in expanding economies come from small enterprises.

Learn more about what's happening here.

Thick or Built as BRICS?

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Welcome new member South Africa into the BRIC club.

The four-nation group — Brazil, Russia, India and China — is a collection of what many economists see as the world’s most important emerging markets. Each has a gross domestic product well above $1 trillion and together they make up almost half the world’s population.

To match up with even the smallest BRIC country, Russia, South Africa would have to quadruple its economy.

Is South Africa a good investment destination -- the next new frontier?  Read the entire article here.

As a Global Small Business Owner, Are You Tapping Into Employee Creativity?

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Rumor (and a little research) has it that businesses in South Africa might be missing out on one of the greatest opportunities to increase its bottom line: its staff.

According to the 2011 Global Entrepreneurs Monitor (GEM) report, it shows that many established businesses in South Africa are missing the boat when it comes to tapping into their employees’ commercial (e.g., entrepreneurial) creativity.

Learn more here.

Meet the New Breed of South African Entrepreneurs

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South Africa (pictured) has long been looked upon as an unstable business environment. Not for long. Meet the new breed of South African entrepreneurs who are optimistic that they can change perceptions and climb the industrial ladder.

Read all about it here.

This related resource may be of interest to you as well:

South Africa: Overview

What's Your Approach to Global Trade in 2010: Conservative or Aggressive?

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In scanning the article, "What 2010 Has In Store for SMEs," published in the Times LIVE (South Africa), I found it refreshingly bizarre. How so?

He (Stanlib economist Kevin Lings) says that recent data from the United States shows that this powerhouse is recovering, and adds that global manufacturing has turned the corner.
It is also worth noting that South Africa takes about three to four months to react to global trends, so our recovery will come after a worldwide upturn.
"We are nowhere close to normal but it seems the worst is over. It is going to take a long time to recover, but the numbers look better."
Mike believes that the world's economic growth will stay muted for the next two or three years, so it will take some time to see significant growth on local soil.
Rode & Associates CEO Erwin Rode echoes these sentiments, saying that a conservative approach to 2010 is probably the best advice for SME decision-makers.
"For planning purposes, I would rather be a pessimist than an optimist. Don't expose yourself to great risks," he says.

This really cracked me up, "I would rather be a pessimist than an optimist." Anyone else feel that way? It seems so opposite of how American SMEs perceive their outlook on business!
Yet the article closes with:

Nevertheless, Mike is fairly optimistic about the prospects for SMEs, saying because of their lean and streamlined nature, they will be able to take up opportunities presented in 2010 much quicker than their large counterparts.

Read more here.

Socializing On The Go In South Africa

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Part Facebook, part Flickr, and a dash of Twitter combined with a GPS-type navigation system, The Grid -- a mobile social network that allows users to chat and share stuff in a mobile location-based matrix with all of their friends and locate them on a map -- is a first for the African continent.

Call it, if you will, socializing on the go. If users want to have a soda with a friend, they log into The Grid to see which friends are nearby and tag the location of a nearby hangout. Then they send a soda invitation with directions to entice their pal to stop in. If the soda group wants more friends to join them, they can log in again and type up a blog, message or record a quick video and invite everyone who’s free and happens to be nearby.

Everyone can easily see where friends are and what they are doing due to The Grid displaying the user’s approximate position on a street map. Users from any network can join in the experience because The Grid was developed to showcase innovative new technologies to all South Africans.

Learn more here at the Brand Channel and stop in at The Grid.

Creating (Global) Opportunity One Bite At A Time

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The mission of South African-based Khayelitsha Cookie Company is to create a company that could not only produce the best cookies in South Africa, but which also radically changed the lives of everyone involved in the company.

For customers, they produce the biggest, best range of baked goods: chocolate chunk cookies, ginger snaps, nutty fudge brownies and shortbread biscuits. For employees, they give every opportunity for significant growth and career expansion.

They also hire previously unemployed women from Khayelitsha and then train and skill them in permanent, affirming employment.

Visit the Khayelitsha Cookie Company here.

What's your global cause?