NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Has social entrepreneurship taken off in Africa? Is it making the impact it is supposed to make? Has institutional support been of the kind that is required?

VENTURES AFRICA – Back in 2009 I had the opportunity to be part of the two man project that developed the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Social Entrepreneurs Generate Your Business Idea Manual for South Africa. May I also point out that it as a highly valued project! It is however disappointing that the ILO materials are not more widely used in a country with 35 percent unemployment (all definitions considered).

The reality is that the World Economic Forum rewards some of the world’s leading change-makers, many of them social changers – for the impact they achieve.

We tap into the insights of Margaret Nienaber, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank, Private Clients as she examines and shares how Generation Y grew up with access to knowledge at their fingertips. Compounding this, youth today also have been able to offset outmoded parental archetypes that no longer apt the new world we live exemplifying their heightened social awareness, agile mind-set, often opinionated, educated and informed ways.