South Africa will make history by hosting the first-ever Global Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) Ministerial Meeting in Johannesburg from July 22 to 24, Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni announced recently.
The landmark gathering aims to strengthen the voice of SMEs within the G20 framework, with South Africa pushing for a dedicated MSME Working Group. The meeting will bring together ministers and officials to address critical challenges facing small businesses globally, including access to capital and trade barriers amid growing protectionism. Ndabeni emphasised the crucial role of small businesses in the global economy, noting they constitute 90 per cent of all enterprises and provide two-thirds of worldwide employment. The meeting will focus on developing practical solutions to support the SME ecosystem and enhance their participation in global value chains.
The initiative represents a significant step toward elevating small business concerns on the international stage and fostering collaborative policy solutions for the sector’s growth.
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