Tag: Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)

The past decade has not been easy for small and medium enterprise (SME) owners. GDP growth has been almost non-existent for most of the past ten years, and despite a widely held – and correct – belief that SMEs hold the keys to job creation and economic growth, they’ve largely been left to fend for themselves.

The country’s SMBs have had a tough 18 months, and unfortunately it seems that challenges are set to continue. The first quarter of 2021 saw one of the highest jobless rates since records began – 32.6 percent – and the latest projections show that South Africa’s economy is only expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.

Literacy, the ability to read and to write, enables prosperity. Yet at least 773 million young people and adults lack basic literacy skills. As technology evolves, users who lack the foundation of learning and education will not reap the benefits of the ongoing digital transformation.

For most Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), funding and loans are vital to their ability to purchase equipment, expand the business and maintain cash flow through challenging times. But to maximise their chances of getting the loan, it’s vital that that they do their homework before approaching a funder.

If South Africa is to successfully drive job creation and achieve sustainable economic growth, the key is to enable large corporate support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The small business sector is instrumental to creating an inclusive economy and a better life for the previously marginalised.

CloudCap is an innovative new investment portal with proven returns of between 18 and 21% per annum, in full compliance with South African financial regulations. It allows you to invest in a range of start-ups and established companies in cutting edge and disruptive industries like artificial intelligence, medical technologies and fintech. 

Urban logistics as a subsector has benefited from the surge in online shopping and the demand for ever-shorter delivery times. While the pandemic has driven sustained and unprecedented disruption of property as an asset class, self-storage has emerged as a resilient sub-sector.

As calm steadily returns after the recent social unrest, analysts are hard at work tallying the cost of the looting and disruption to economic activity. So far, the damage to 2021 growth is estimated at between 0.5 and 1.0 percentage points.

The world has a serious problem that puts the digital era in harm's way. Numerous South African businesses have fallen prey to a new ransomware attack, joining many more globally.

As we navigate the turmoil and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all eyes are on keeping each other safe while preparing for a post-pandemic world. The custodians of this post-pandemic future are young people – and when one considers that the official unemployment rate for people under 35 in South Africa is 46.3%, the urgency of meaningful and sustained youth empowerment cannot be understated.