AHI now Small Business Institute with new board

THE Small Business Institute (SBI) – which was formerly known as AHI – has reconstituted its board of directors.

Newly appointed board chairperson Bernard Swanepoel said the country needed authoritative research about small and medium enterprises (SME). The new appointments come with the adoption of a new memorandum of incorporation, which will see board members accountable for specific portfolios within their expertise.

The SBI will undertake several areas of research this year, exploring the impediments to small and medium enterprise development. The most significant will be a rigorous baseline study on the small business segment of the economy, a first for the country.

The new board members and their portfolios are:

Ashwin Willemse – entrepreneurship and youth.

Bernard Swanepoel – chairman.

Chris Darroll – research and advocacy.

Ernest Messina – corporate relationships.

Hettienne von Abo-moolman – sectoral co-ordination. Ivan Pillay – government liaison.

Jennifer Cohen – research and advocacy.

Joe Mwase – Business Unity SA liaison.

Octavia Matloa – finance and governance.

Siki Mgabadeli – communications.

Sipho Nkosi – vice-chairman and vice-president.

Winda Austin-loeve – president and chamber liaison. Yolisa Pikie – government liaison.

Regarding research on SMES, Swanepoel said: “It’s ludicrous that we make assumptions about how many we have, let alone pile more laws and regulations on top of the sector most likely to create jobs in this country. We need to understand whether the decisions and activities by government and big business help or hinder SMES to start, run and grow.”

Swanepoel said the SBI’S new partnership with SBP (sbp.org. za) would assist the organisation with policy discussions.

The baseline study would capture the size, nature and characteristics of small firms operating in South Africa.

The process is expected to be conducted over three phases. The study, which will offer open-source access to the data and will be peer-reviewed, should be completed by the end of the year. Thorough analysis using the data will be ongoing.

Other pieces of research examining the operating environment, red tape and the supply of finance will give the SBI evidence to promote more effective public positions on all matters concerning enterprise development, as well as a platform for a more cohesive voice for small business in the country’s public policy debates.

“The SBI is a member of Business Unity SA (Busa) and we hope to be a thorn in the side of bigger business and government, reminding them to ‘think small first’. The evidence we collect and promote at Busa’s table and through our five indabas planned, as well as township town hall meetings around the country, will underscore our claim to be the big voice for small business,” said Swanepoel.

“It was humbling that the people we approached to help us this year agreed to direct our organisation. With their expertise and commitment to governance, inclusive growth and job creation in South Africa, our small and medium firms will benefit from their services,” said Swanepoel.