Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of economic development in emerging markets like India, South Africa, Kenya and Colombia, where these enterprises contribute up to 40% of national GDP. Recent years have seen the SME sector in these nations develop at different speeds, with countries like Brazil joining economic powerhouses like the UK and America in topping the list of countries with the largest new business growth. In these inspiring examples are key learning opportunities for South African small businesses.
This is the opinion of Mark Paper, Chief Operation Officer: Business Partners International at Business Partners Limited, who points to the growth strategies of countries like India, Mexico and Brazil as case studies for how the South African SME sector can expand; despite several unique hurdles that face the country’s entrepreneurs.
Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited (LON:FEML) is an investment trust that aims to achieve long-term capital growth from an actively managed portfolio made up primarily of securities and financial instruments providing exposure to emerging markets companies, both listed and unlisted.