G20: Five key priorities revealed for Startup20 Engagement Group

Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni has outlined South Africa’s priorities for the Startup20 Engagement Group, an official body under the country’s G20 presidency.

She delivered her remarks during the midterm meeting held on Monday at Birchwood in Boksburg.

Startup20 provides a platform for startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to engage directly with G20 leaders about their challenges and opportunities.

The five priorities are: 

• Foundation and alliance – with the focus on enabling policies, and ways to build a more supportive and resourced eco-system for early-stage entrepreneurs and scale-ups.
• Finance and investment – with the focus on addressing gaps in early-stage financing, cross-border financing, and ways to derisk investment, for underserved regions and groups like women and youth, including through pre-investment capital readiness support.
• Inclusion and sustainability – with the focus on circular economy models, green innovation incentives, and pre-investment business support for youth and women led enterprises to improve capital readiness.
• Market access – with the focus on facilitating international trade, enabling e-commerce, reforming public procurement systems and supporting regional integration
• Township and rural entrepreneurship – with the focus on strengthening local value chains, improving infrastructure and connectivity, and improving access to finance and eco-system support for supporting co-operatives and micro enterprises.

“Task teams made up of South African and international representatives have been established in these five priority areas.

“This Midterm Engagement Group Session provides the opportunity for these task forces together with others in the broader eco-system to develop policy recommendations that culminate in a clear programme of action to be finalised in the Startup20 Summit on 13-14 November.

“This summit in November will also include the inaugural Startup20 Awards, where the best startups and eco-system enablers from the G20 countries will be recognised. We will also, as DSBD, integrate our Presidential MSME Awards where we recognise and reward our best local talent,” Ndabeni said.

Champion several issues

She emphasised that South Africa would utilise its G20 presidency to champion “issues of the Global South and Africa in particular, including issues of public debt, food security, market access, and the availability and cost of capital”.    

“With the African Union’s induction as a permanent G20 member in 2023, Africa’s voice is now more prominent in global policymaking. South Africa plays a dual role: both as a sovereign G20 member and as a strategic member of the AU. As such we are well positioned to support the continent’s startup and MSME agenda.

“This alignment allows for greater policy coherence, enabling South Africa to serve as a bridge between global discourse and regional development aspirations, particularly in areas such as startup financing, regulatory reform, and digital transformation,” the Minister said.