South Africa is strengthening support for entrepreneurs through finance, policy reform and partnerships, positioning small businesses as central drivers of job creation, inclusive growth and long-term economic resilience.
Addressing entrepreneurs, policymakers and ecosystem partners, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said improving economic conditions are creating renewed momentum for small business growth, following progress in energy reform, logistics stability and rising investor confidence.
“We are starting 2026 on a good footing,” said Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams. “There is widespread consensus that structural reforms are working, and investment confidence is rapidly improving.”
The Minister pointed to South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list and a recent credit rating upgrade as key confidence signals, alongside sustained growth in equities and benefits from the commodities upcycle.
Despite global geopolitical uncertainty, she said South Africa is increasingly positioned as a strategic “bridge economy” linking Africa’s natural resources and consumer markets to global value chains through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“Economic inclusion does not happen by accident,” said Ndabeni-Abrahams. “It happens when policy, finance, institutions and entrepreneurs move in the same direction.”
She emphasised that entrepreneurs are central to translating macroeconomic gains into real employment, noting that more than nine million of South Africa’s targeted 11 million jobs by 2030 are expected to come from micro, small and medium enterprises.
“Our responsibility is not only to provide funding,” she said. “It is to align policy, coordinate institutions, mobilise partners and ensure that support reaches entrepreneurs where it is needed most.”
The Minister acknowledged partnerships with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, SEDFA and provincial economic development authorities, noting that initiatives initially piloted in one province have successfully expanded to Gauteng, Limpopo, the Free State and the Eastern Cape.
“When partnerships are strong, impact can travel,” she said, adding that the next priority is to reach deeper into townships and rural communities.
She highlighted a range of targeted programmes supporting township and rural enterprises, manufacturing, exporters, women-owned businesses, youth entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, military veterans and informal traders.
In closing, Ndabeni-Abrahams reaffirmed government’s commitment to backing entrepreneurs as the authors of South Africa’s growth story.
“You are not defined by where you started,” she said. “You are defined by your willingness to persist, adapt and grow. As government, we are committed to backing that courage with practical support.”
