SMEs

Future-Proofing SME and Entrepreneurship Policies – OECD

The OECD has a new publication reporting on discussions that were held at its SME and Entrepreneurship Ministerial Meeting, 27-28 June 2023. With the global context having radically evolved in the last three years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, and other challenges, policies will also need to evolve in order to ensure that SMEs are resilient and have access to the support they require. The publication notes the need to find a balance between guaranteeing long-run financial support and providing the right conditions for SMEs to compete and become more productive. Furthermore, the policies need to be people-centred and granular as SMEs can widely differ, with no one policy fitting all of their collective needs.

Click here to read the full paper.

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Q&A with Denise Bierman

Innovation Council sat down with Denise Bierman, the Founder and CEO of Fontis Organic Skinfood, a premium high performance botanical skinfood brand, to talk about the beginnings of her company and what made it successful.

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IC Member Techinvention nominated for SME Excellence Awards

Techinvention, a member of the Innovation Council, has been nominated for the SME Excellence Awards by the Indian Chamber of SMEs. The awards were initiated to recognise SMEs for their exceptional contribution and achievements in business and industry.

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SME and entrepreneurship policy frameworks across OECD countries

All OECD countries have put in place policies that support SMEs and entrepreneurs. These policies differ considerably along a number of dimensions, including the policy framework in which they are embedded. This paper maps and compares policy approaches and governance mechanisms across OECD countries. It shows that there are significant similariIes in objectives pursued and instruments used, and that countries use various governance models to ensure coherence. The paper was developed in the context of the OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Strategy.

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Q&A with Innovation Council members Wetility & Renewables in Africa

Innovation Council sat down with Vincent Maposa, the Founder and CEO of Wetility and Tony Tiyou, the Founder and CEO of Renewables in Africa, to talk about the beginnings of their companies and what made them successful.

Wetility is a rooftop solar PV technology company based in South Africa. It creates optimal capacity for stand-alone and sectional title homes and small commercial buildings. The company harnesses the power of the sun, with the aim of introducing the world to a hybrid solution that works seamlessly and in harmony with current power supply options.

Renewables in Africa is a clean energy engineering consultancy providing services in renewable energy and energy management to project developers and investors. RiA is primarily focused on projects in Africa, but it does advise clients about energy projects in other emerging markets as well. RiA is also a media platform with the vision to transform Africa and African lives by leveraging the power of renewable energy.

Wetility and Renewables in Africa work closely together.

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Q&A with Innovation Council member Villgro Africa

Innovation Council sat down with Wilfred Njagi, Co-Founder and CEO of Villgro Africa to learn more about the success story and lessons learned. The healthcare business incubator has a demonstrated track record having incubated over 30 healthcare innovators in East Africa that have gone on to increase access to affordable, superior quality healthcare in E. Africa touching over 2 million lives in the last 5 years.

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Q&A with Innovation Council member Medixus

Innovation Council sat down with Nicole Kayode, Founder and CEO of Medixus to talk about her passion for health and social impact tech. She created a communication, collaboration and learning platform for doctors aimed at improving case management and clinical practice. Medixus believes that quality patient care relies on smooth communication between healthcare professionals, and access to resources that will further their development.

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Key IP considerations for smaller enterprises

The Innovation Council team wrote an article that was published in the June issue of WIPO Magazine. The article, by Phil Wadsworth, with Jennifer Brant and Peter Brown, highlights key IP considerations for smaller companies. In particular, the article highlights the importance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of patents, trade secrets, copyright protections, and trademarks, as well as design rights, and discusses how these protections can facilitate collaboration, successful commercialization, and other beneficial outcomes for small businesses.

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Webinar: How to make money from IP

Join EPO, TIA, SEDA, and AfricaBio on July 7th, from 10am to 1pm CAT, for an online seminar aimed at showcasing how African SMEs have benefited from IP innovation and how you and your business can benefit too.

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