It’s hard to believe that nearly two years have passed since we were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the many challenges that the pandemic has sown at a personal and economic level, there is so much to be grateful for and to celebrate about this beautiful country. The economic downturn and its devastating impacts on livelihoods and business is an undeniable fact. But so is our ability as a nation to bounce back and see the opportunities in crises; opportunities to collectively rethink our approach to doing business, to reboot, and to harness our collective energies toward our pursuit of an inclusive and sustainable post-pandemic era.
We firmly believe that creating shared value by building purpose-led business through sustainable transformation is the way to move society forward. Strategic sustainability, where purpose, strategy and sustainability intersect is crucial in our efforts toward creating a more resilient and united front as stakeholders in business. At GIBS, we have embraced our purpose to inspire exceptional performance by making business healthier. To this end, the Entrepreneurship Development Academy (EDA) is once again pleased to have been invited as the editorial partner on the 2021 edition of the ESD Handbook. This is an important platform that allows fellow thought leaders and practitioners within the Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) space, to engage, to share and to co-create an ecosystem that will have an enduring impact on policy and practice in ESD.
Small businesses are an integral part of our economy; an economy that is being challenged like never before. Our ability to recover from the devastation of COVID-19 relies heavily on the entrepreneurial and small business sector. Through our collective efforts, we must develop and build an environment within which entrepreneurship is encouraged, facilitated, and supported. Unless the various stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem collaborate, we will not be able to realise the National Development Plan’s vision of large-scale job creation through entrepreneurship.
The GIBS Social Education division seeks to contribute to the advancement of social justice by providing effective platforms for dialogue, thought leadership, advocacy, and practice. As part of this division, the Centre for Entrepreneurship and the EDA are actively contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all through the promotion and development of entrepreneurship.
The EDA is the focal point of entrepreneurship education and training at GIBS and as such, our goal is to continue to create a pioneering and stimulating environment for small and growing enterprises, and to generate and encourage entrepreneurial spirit through targeted and impactful development initiatives.
This year’s edition of the ESD Handbook offers a wide variety of thought leadership pieces, case studies, ESD success stories and some of our latest entrepreneurship research. Our aim is always to inform, share knowledge and encourage meaningful debate and collaboration between key stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Download the ESD 2021 Handbook (link this sentence to: https://impactsa.co.za/esd-handbook-2021/)
For media enquiries, contact Faiza Mallick at mallickf@gibs.co.za
