Cape Town, South Africa - Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Small Business Development, has accepted an invitation to join the Startup Nations Ministerial Steering Committee on behalf of the South African Government.
The Steering Committee drives the Ministerial, which convenes as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), and guides the overall agenda of the Startup Nations network of policymakers.
The annual Startup Nations Ministerial serves as a high level dialogue among government leaders to discuss how the public sector can better encourage young businesses to start and grow. It was co-created in partnership with the US government, the EU, APEC, ASEAN, the OECD, UNCTAD, the World Bank and other multilateral bodies. It has been held in Milan (2015), Medellin (2016), Johannesburg (2017), Istanbul (2018), Manama (2019) and Riyadh (2022). The next edition takes place in May 2023 at GEC Melbourne.
The Steering Committee also helps lead the Global Entrepreneurship Network's year-round effort to empower policymakers with information and resources to develop smarter policy instruments to increase the rate of new firm formation in economies around the world.
Ndabeni-Abrahams will play a central role in convening her counterparts across Africa in the build up to the Ministerial in Melbourne in May 2023 and GEC+ Africa, which is scheduled to take place in Cape Town in September 2023. The Minister will also work alongside GEN and its knowledge partners including the World Bank and the OECD in year-round activities to deepen entrepreneurship policy and research collaboration across the continent.
The Minister’s appointment builds upon a close, longstanding relationship between GEN and South Africa, which includes:
- Hosting Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg
- Opening 22 On Sloane, a 10,000 sqm GEN Campus in Johannesburg
- Mrs Lindiwe Zulu, Ndabeni-Abrahams predecessor as Minister of Small Business Development, joining the Ministerial Steering Group as a founding member.
- The newly-announced GEC+ Africa, which will take place in Cape Town in September 2023.
With the addition of Ndabeni-Abrahams, members of the Steering Committee include:
- Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Bahrain
- Ambitah Kant, CEO, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), India
- Miriam Y. Katagum, Minister of State, Ministry of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria
- Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Small Business Development, South Africa
“I am very excited to be appointed on the GEN Steering Committee” said Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams. “Africa is the future locale of global consumption growth and has the youth dividend on its side. But Africa’s development potential will only be unlocked if we build an enabling ecosystem within which innovation and entrepreneurship can thrive. Igniting the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit will enable faster and more inclusive economic growth and allow complex social and environmental problems to be resolved.”
“We are pleased to welcome Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams to the Ministerial Steering Committee,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. "The Minister’s appointment builds upon South African government leadership as one of the founding members of the Committee and participation in all six previous Ministerials. The Minister has a clear entrepreneurial vision, not only for South Africa but the wider African continent. We look forward to working with the Minister to realize this vision.”
Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams is the Minister of Small Business Development. She has held the position since August 2021. Prior to that, she served as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from November 2018 to August 2021, after having served since October 2011 as Deputy Minister of the Department of Communication and the later Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services. Ms Ndabeni-Abrahams has a long history in development, working as a project manager at the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council from 2003 before being asked to serve in Parliament in 2009. Ms Ndabeni-Abrahams is currently pursuing her master’s degree in digital business with Wits University. She is currently a member of the ANC Eastern Cape Provincial Executive and Provincial Working Committees.