The Enterprise Supplier Development Community of Practice

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The Enterprise Supplier Development Community of Practice is a public-private partnership that offers guidelines for how companies should open supply chains to startups and small enterprises.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The Enterprise Supplier Development Community of Practice aims to transform the Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) for more effective impact on Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs). It also seeks to address challenges such as the absence of ESD strategies, inadequate needs analysis on supported SMMEs, and insufficient monitoring and evaluation of ESD initiatives. Moreover, the CoP aims to professionalize ESD practitioners, develop qualifications for them, and support SMMEs in accessing markets, funding, mentorship, coaching, and reducing bureaucratic requirements. Ultimately, the primary objective is to foster economic growth, combat unemployment, poverty, and inequality, and contribute to the South African economy

How does the program work?

The Enterprise Supplier Development Community of Practice works through a public-private collaboration aimed at supporting effective transformation through enterprise and supplier development. It provides a platform for ESD practitioners in the corporate sector to share knowledge, develop professional skills, and learn about new ESD programs and services. Moreover, the Community of Practice sets up Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on specific topics of interest, such as ESD programs, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and practitioner training. Membership is exclusively for ESD practitioners in the corporate sector responsible for implementing B-BBEE/ESD strategy and programs. Additionally, the CoP offers various benefits, including training and professional development workshops, development of an e-learning platform, research into effective ESD programs and interventions, and corporate-government collaboration and partnership-building workshops, among others. The aim is to enhance the profession of ESD program design and management through knowledge transfer, special interest groups, research, workshops and events, and best-practice sharing.

The ESD community of practice has committed to:

  • Create platforms and activities that foster knowledge and best-practice sharing and research
  • Develop Training programs through which ESD practitioners can be upskilled in line with professionalising the ESD field of practice
  • Facilitate workshops covering ESD related content that is fresh and relevant to ESD practice
  • Develop, manage and maintain a Knowledge repository to support the work of the CoP and its members
  • Establish special interest groups that would focus its attention on ESD matters common and applicable to such groups
  • Recognise ESD commitment and best practice at an individual and organisational level

Membership of the CoP is free and is open to employees of companies having in excess of 100 employees and whose role is ESD practitioner, i.e. the development and implementation / oversight of enterprise and supplier development programmes and related activities within the B-BBEE framework.

What is the overall cost?

There is no available information on the costs associated with the Enterprise Supplier Development Community of Practice. 

How was it implemented?

The Enterprise and Supplier Development Community of Practice in South Africa was launched by Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on June 7, 2023 in partnership with a number of large corporates who have committed to open supply chains to small enterprises.

What impact has been measured?

Given that it was recently introduced, there is currently no available information on the impact of the Enterprise and Supplier Development Community of Practice. 

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom