On the 31st of May 2018, the A-SDA in collaboration with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) launched the SME Business Competitive Program in South Africa. The program, supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, aims to contribute to the better integration of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into value chains, through enhanced sustainability performance, accountability and disclosure.

Focus:

Linking Africa’s top suppliers (SME’s) into qualified local & global value chains. Click here to see what the GRI Competitive Business Program is all about.

Who should participate?

• Corporates
• State ownerd entities (SOE’S )
• SA Cities, Metro Councils
• COO’S
• Head’s of Strategy
• Head’s of Sustainability (SHE)
• Head’s of Transformation
• Supply Chain Management (SCM)
• Sustainable Procurement (local sourcing, green procurement & ESD)

What does the Competitive Business Program entail?

The A-SDA in partnership with the Global Reporting Initiative now brings you a program that will step-change the SME’s in your ESD Programs.

This innovative multi-year key supplier (SME) capacitating program, supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, aims to contribute to the better integration of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into value chains, through enhanced sustainability performance, accountability and disclosure.

Benefits of the program:

Big Corporates entering their key suppliers (SMEs) to take part in this programme will be equipped to:

• Balance supply and demand (long term partnership – 5-10 years),
• De-risk supply chain (trust and transparency),
• Increasing competitiveness (operational efficiencies, quality, access to markets, access to finance, profitability, volumes, etc.)
• Leading industry transition to sustainable and inclusive growth (collaboration)

Key suppliers (SMEs) taking part will recieve:

• Industry and ESD programme specific reporting tools
• Access to the GRI on-line reporting platform “simplified”
• Coaching and assistance through their first reporting cycle
• A differentiated brand of transparency and integrity

– SME’S ACCOUNT FOR 90% OF ALL BUSINESSES, IT HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY –

The program kicks off with the Supplier Stream Program on the 26th of June, for more information contact us.

 

The African Sustainability Summit boasts a 6-year track record and the birthplace of the A-SDA. The annual event provides a platform for networking and showcase of industry case studies that demonstrate successful sustainable development.

The Summit is set to take place in November 2018.

The A-SDA partnered with the SA Cities Network Leadership in refining the National Transition Roadmap (2021 & 2030) through stakeholder engagement and co-creation in order to produce a roadmap that would be easy to apply and integrate into city administration, development planning and service delivery. The A-SDA worked closely with key stakeholders of the African Capital Cities Sustainability Forum (ACCSF), Gauteng Cities (City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni) and broader stakeholder groups ensuring representative engagement and ownership. Read more here. The A-SDA has an inherent interest in ensuring mainstreaming Sustainable City Transition Roadmaps through PPP’s and continues to work with the SACN to ensure effective implementation.

The Emerge Rural Entrepreneurs Mentorship Programme was initiated to create opportunities for young people who graduated from the community NGO Heartbeat’s orphaned and vulnerable children’s programmes that have been in existence for 17 years.  The invitation to join the programme was extended in three communities and out of 200 applicants 30 participants where selected based on their entrepreneurial orientation. All successful applicants needed to have a matric certificate to enable them to be enrolled in a New Venture Creation Programme on a SAQA Level 4 (NVC4). The A-SDA led a programme over the last four months understanding the specific challenges these entrepreneurs face and linking them to mentors and coaches. Partnering with the National Mentorship Movement entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to become part of a structured mentorship programme.

If you want to become a mentor or know more about these entrepreneurs, contact us for more info. Click below to listen to the story of Anastacia Diane, a waste management entrepreneur.

The A-SDA partnered with the Mine Water Coordinating Body (MWCB) and NEPAD Business Foundation’s Regional Mine Closure Blue Sky Innovation Workshop, co-designing and facilitating with key PPP stakeholders.

• The intention of the workshop was to bring together representative stakeholders and interested parties (Olifant Catchment Area, Mpumalanga), who have the ability to identify and realize tangible project opportunities, to enable an economic and environmentally sustainable future for local communities post mine closure.
• The key objective was to encourage thinking around how the various key stakeholders could make use of the resources (water, land, infrastructure) to meet their local procurement and production requirements.

The ASDA continues to partner with MWCB, NEPAD Business Foundation and industry members, to establish specific working groups that will initiate sustainable development projects.

The A-SDA Wisdom Board members collaborated at this international event in Cape Town in 2017. The internation conference was hosted by the National Clean Production Centre of South Africa.

The A-SDA delivered a keynote paper in the stream dealing with Creating Competitive Advantage. The topic of the keynote was: Creating Competitive Advantage and Shared Value, and aligning SA business with sustainable economic development.

Click here to read more about the event.

Mr. Raldu Nel, Chairman of the A-SDA was invited to deliver a keynote address at this prestigious JSE key-stakeholder event in collaboration with top performing JSE listed companies. The title of the keynote was “The power of collective effort to affect real change”.