SME development & innovative approaches

1. SME development & innovative approaches THE BRAINS

2. Some inspiring entry thoughts • Case - East Africa: • Collaboration with SME associations • Encourage people with disablity to be members there • Senistise the management of umbrella organisations to reach out to disabled people (Chamber of commerce, SME umbrella) • The service provider (training) must be prepared for an inclusive training – reasonable accomoationd etc. • At the same time also working with disbableparticipnats to being in a mixed group • And support the linkage between these two groups Activities; • Capacity building – trade fairs where deliberately both business are mixed • Month of women entrepreneur (also disabled) • Disability policies

3. Policies recommendations: • Business and Tender Quota set aside for disability (e.g. South Africa) the same it is done for youth and women; National tender boards should be sensitized to make provision for people with disabilities – make a provision by the minister should be easy to execute and is a simple formal act • An agency established by government to coordinate disability affairs (similar to youth coordination bodies) – as a social support measure: they help you with business plan, with business advise, they link you with opportunities (currently largely available for Women and youth) – (example: hospitality industry could make use of products made by disabled people) (a strategy paper to be compiled with the assiatnce of the FES to map out what is currently happening and how can collaboration and coordination be achieved best) • Higher education institutions be obliged to admit at least a percentage of students? (parallel process would have to be inservice training for teachers/lecturers – as well as workshops/lecturing halls and accommodation) (Vocational Training Centres?- what quota do they accommodate people with disabilities) • Teacher training should include the way of how to deal with people with disabilities • Teacher training should also ensure that disabled teachers are being trained (both new teachers as well as in-service training)  • Infrastructure: introduce law that e.g. business markets and buildings in general are disability friendly (and penalties on those who do not comply) • Use any platform even this in order to share and ensure that we learn from opportunities: further down the line a body to be established in southern Africa to deal with issues people of disabilities

4. Interesting practice recommendations • Interesting practices • Polytechnic of Namibia: SME development training for people with disabilities in conjunction with disability council • National Council intends to award companies and institutions of higher education best catering for people with disabilities • Integration is the best way to go (difference to inclusion yet the one is not in the way of the other) – try to arrange training, which is designed for all and inclusive (you become more broadminded and your self-understanding is more enhanced) – both (people with disabilities and people with no disabilities) learn from sharing the same platform in training! It would be naïve to think that this can be applied equally at all levels. • Support programmes need to be market widely and publices widely. All different ways to reach the market need to be explored. To generate participation.

5. Training for disabled people specifically may be necessary when working in rural areas with lowly skilled people in preparation of other training programmes • Disabled people are mostly microentrepreneur; why not specifically helping those microentrepreneurs to acquire more skills so that they grow to higher levels • Nurture and produce role models specifically for business so that people with disability can have the courage to go into businessOPDs should ensure that information is widely distributed e.g. tenders/opportunities etc • Sensitise the media to cover more proactively issues of people with disability in business • Advertising of business owned by people with disability should be 100% subsidized by government

6. An annual forum for people with disabilities in business to share experiences and networking on national/continental/global level (exchanging ideas and growing big) (engage SADC / how could BRICS feature) • Ensuring that the national Chambers of Industry and SME Umbrella body make special provision for time for people with disabilities in their annual forums and Annual General Meetings • At the same time desks/offices should be established to specifically handle issues pertinent to SMEs (SME desk on National Council for people with disabilities, etc). • Specifically access to certain provisions made by government: fishing quota, tourism and mining concessions, land allocation (e.g. land for resettlement farming) etc. How can these be more beneficial to people with disability?!

7. Credit: working with microfinance institutions and sensitising them • Microfinance institutions, development banks need to be targeted to provide financing for people with disabilities: remove barriers such as collateral and the requirements for security • Networking and exchange must form part of capacity building – so that when events happen government should also take disable business people on their trade missions and trade exchanges • Chmaber of Commerce and Industry to have a special desk that speaks to people with disabilities • And always remember that sensitisiation needs to start at the top – top management • Affirmative Action – Black Economic Empowerment: increase allocations Could be very cheap solutions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. Disabled people in rural areas: • Technology: disability friendly technology as part of SME development should be a pillar and should be made available in the rural areas – deliberately identify technologies which can be useful for people with disabilities in rural areas. • Opportunities how ICT and IT need to be further studied? Both from a skills perspective as well as equipment perspective! • Advocacy: provision of technologies (especially laptop/pad/tab - cellphone) to people with disability! – and use them as a connector between and amongst people with disabilities specially business people