Latest news with #UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly
The Citizen
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Citizen
World MSME Day: What small businesses really need to grow
To celebrate the sector and raise awareness of what support is needed, the UN General Assembly designated 27 June as World MSME Day. Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) play a vital role in South Africa's economy, but the sector still does not receive the support it deserves. To celebrate the sector and raise awareness of what support is needed, the United Nations General Assembly designated 27 June as World MSME Day. Luncedo Mtwentwe from Vantage Advisory says South Africa's funding gap takes centre stage, with only 25% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) succeeding in raising enough capital to scale up. 'That means three out of four businesses are locked out of the funding they need to launch, hire or expand.' ALSO READ: Report reveals there is no lack of funding for small businesses – here's the problem Small businesses are not investor-ready Mtwentwe adds that funding is not scarce in the country, but the reality is a lot of small businesses are not investor-ready and by the time they realise this, it is often too late. 'We need to stop thinking of capital raising as a last resort. It's not a lifeline but a leadership skill that must be developed early, long before cash flow runs out.' He says one of the most common pitfalls is a reactive approach to funding. Entrepreneurs often seek capital in a crisis, weakening their negotiating position and eroding investor confidence. 'By then, it's no longer about potential but about patchwork.' How small businesses get funding Mtwentwe acknowledges that funding in the country is also uneven. He says that geography and networks often shape who gets funded and who does not. 'Some founders have resorted to raising capital abroad because they lack the connections or co-founders with the right credibility in SA. Unless you are in the right province, you can forget about raising here.' He was told by investment professional Zama Khanyile that capital is flowing into Africa, but it often skips South African startups. 'If we want to attract that capital, we need to get better at telling our impact story, not just our profit potential.' ALSO READ: Challenges and opportunities for SMEs in 2025 Cracking the capital code He advises entrepreneurs to normalise conversations around investor readiness and equipping themselves with the tools to build credible, fundable businesses. His top tips include Start Early: Fundraising is a process, not an event. Begin preparing at least 6–12 months in advance of your capital needs. Build a Fundable Structure: Investors look for governance, accountability, and growth potential, regardless of your size or sector. Get your basics in place – clean financials, compliance, contracts and operating systems. Focus on People, Not Just Product: Investors fund people first. A solid team with vision, credibility and financial discipline often matters more than a polished prototype. Target the Right Investors: Match your business stage and sector with the right funder. Understand their ticket size, risk appetite and portfolio. Green finance is gaining significant traction lately, opening even more funding opportunities for sustainability-driven startups. Tell a Scalable Story: Investors need to believe in your growth. Show traction, validated assumptions, customer pipeline, or offtake agreements, no matter how early. Lean Into Mentorship: You do not need to do it alone. Leverage incubators, advisors and mentors who can help position your business for funding. Keep Marketing and Sales in Focus: No investor will back a business without a revenue engine. Sales traction and go-to-market strategy are critical. NOW READ: Mid-year financial check for SMEs: Tips to prepare for the next six months
IOL News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Parliament calls for urgent action against the drug epidemic
Urgent measures discussed by Parliament to combat South Africa's drug crisis on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Image: Tshwane Metro Police Department Parliamentarians debated robust measures to curtail the drug epidemic in South Africa on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The United Nations General Assembly in 1987 decided to observe June 26 as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. Alcohol abuse is a complex socio-economic issue that requires a multi-stakeholder and integrated approach towards a drug-free society, captured in the National Drug Master Plan. ANC MP Keamotseng Ramaila said cartels are motivated by financial greed, with many individuals who have been destroyed by drug abuse. Ramaila said tragedies were unfolding in homes and shattered the very foundation of family life. 'Children in these households face neglect and abuse throughout their lives, compromising emotional and mental health. It is a heartbreaking picture. We should stand together, irrespective of political parties, to fight and combat the drug trade.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Visvin Reddy, uMkhonto weSizwe MP, called for the establishment of a national drug unit that must be independent and comprise local police structures. Reddy stated that the unit should have the ability to raid, seize, and arrest quickly, effectively, and fiercely. He said rehabilitation is supposed to bring hope, but too often, it has become a failure, underfunded and disconnected from reality. 'There must be a ring-fenced and dedicated budget for rehabilitation services. We must lead this charge not just in words, but through daily measurable action.' According to Reddy, drugs were tearing up communities and had tightened their grip on homes, children, and our future. He also spoke of Phoenix resident, Lincoln Moodley, 24, who was arrested and charged with the alleged murder of Kamatchie Naicker and the attempted murder of his 63-year-old mother, Shirley Appalsamy. 'This incident shook me to the core. I visited Appalsamy and her throat was slit because her assailant wanted to take out her chain. The perpetrator of this was not somebody unknown. A child that she once cradled, now consumed by addiction, turned into a monster. What kind of darkness and poison is this that corrupts so deeply that family becomes foe?' he said. He also touched on incidents in Cape Town and Eldorado Park, Johannesburg. 'In Chatsworth, a mother had no choice but to chain her son to a bed just to keep him from stealing and using drugs again. When my children were growing up, my wife and I prayed every day that they would never come into contact with drugs because when that substance enters your home, peace will leave,' Reddy added. Paulnita Marais, EFF MP, exposed South Africa's broken response to addiction and demanded urgent, humane action. Marais called out the government's failure to fund and coordinate community-level interventions, revealing that only 46% of municipalities have Local Drug Action Committees as required by law. She slammed the defunding of vital rehabilitation services — over 246 state-funded beds lost in Gauteng alone, while private rehab remains unaffordable for the poor. 'With only eight public in-patient centres across six provinces, South Africans battling addiction are being left to die in silence,' she said.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- India Gazette
On MSME Day, small business owners urge Govt for better tech, funding, skilled workforce
By Nikhil Dedha New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): On this MSME Day, entrepreneurs and small business founders across various sectors have come forward to highlight the key challenges they face while running their businesses. The United Nations General Assembly has designated June 27 as 'Micro-Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises Day' to raise awareness of the contributions of MSMEs in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From the need for better digital infrastructure and skilled workforce to smoother access to markets and financial support, their voices point to one common need, stronger on-ground support to help India's 64 million MSMEs grow and thrive. In a conversation with ANI, various small business founders highlighted their demands like improving technology and supply chains for small establishments. Vasu Naren, Chairman & Managing Director of Sona Machinery told ANI that there is a need for MSMEs to work on technology and supply chain development together. He said sectors like food processing often struggle with low quality due to technical issues, broken logistics, and limited digital links. He said, 'Smart trade infrastructure and real-time electronic platforms must become a new norm in the MSME sector. To add to this last-mile connectivity catalyzes growth and drives process innovation and cost-efficiency across the MSME pool. Additionally, government must levy more support in organizing trade fairs and funding the digital outreach which will empower small manufacturers to make space in the international markets'. Another founder highlighted the gaps in IT incubation support. Abhinav Rao, Founder & CEO of ParentVerse, shared with ANI that IT-based MSMEs still face a gap in incubation support. Citing data from Tracxn, he said India has 718 incubators and accelerators, with nearly 70 per cent backed by government funding. He said 'In the case of IT-based MSMEs, this gap becomes more evident. Unlike their private counterparts, who focus on contextual mentoring, operational support, and market access, many government-led incubators lean heavily on theoretical education, while lacking access to early-stage capital and structured, outcome-driven guidance. As a result, early-stage ventures often struggle to move from ideation to execution'. The founders of healthcare MSMEs highlighted the need of R&D and data protection help. Shabnum Khan, Founder of 750AD Healthcare stated two major issues for MSMEs in healthcare: lack of R&D support and data privacy concerns. She urged the government to provide R&D credits and conduct workshops on AI integration and data protection protocols. She told ANI 'In healthcare MSMEs, government must invest in R&D credits to the medium and small scale startups along with workshops on up skilling for AI integration and data privacy protection laws, protocols etc. The infrastructure needed to support these systems is cost intensive and this is one of the main reason why data breach is a common practice in healthcare'. Highlighting the issues in manufacturing sector the entrepreneurs stated that finding skilled labour still remains a big challenge. Dinesh Chandra Pandey, Founder of Shankar Fenestrations Glasses said that manufacturing MSMEs face rising costs of raw materials like silica and soda ash, along with power failures and delayed payments from large customers. He told ANI, 'Trained skilled labour is still hard to come by, particularly individuals adept at precise cutting, tempering, and installation. We would like to grow, innovate, and be part of India's growth story, but without pragmatic, on-ground assistance, it becomes challenging. MSMEs like us need more tangible support, prompt payments, and better market connections to compete in today's changing construction and manufacturing world.' He also shared that despite investing in CNC machines and smart glass tech, he said market demand and awareness remain low. Anand Kumar Bajaj, Founder & CEO of PayNearby, said small businesses still lack access to credit and digital tools. He appreciated schemes like Udyam Registration, collateral-free loans, ONDC, and RBI's efforts to push last-mile banking through Business Correspondents. Digital Access for Rural MSMEs Nilay Patel, Founder & MD of EasyPay, said that while digital adoption is rising in Tier II and III cities, rural MSMEs still struggle to enter the wider digital market. He said 'Initiatives like ONDC are actively bridging this gap, providing small businesses with an expansive digital marketplace and enhanced access to formal financial services'. He also noted that stronger collaboration among fintechs, policymakers, and digital platforms will be paramount in equipping MSMEs, particularly in deeper markets. As these entrepreneurs show, India's MSMEs are full of potential, but to realize it, they need timely support, better market access, and policies that work for all. (ANI)
The Wire
a day ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Unimpeded Mass Murder, Safari Style
You just may have noticed that a new ingenious modality of mass murder has been in operation in Gaza. Call it game-hunting, safari style. Recall how when some royals used to be taken on a tiger shoot, a bait would be tied to a tree so a big cat could be drawn to it for the dignitary's convenient aim. So now, dangerously famished Palestinian children, women, old folk on spindly legs are got the better of by being drawn to the bait where ostensibly benevolent patrons are ready to hand out food packets. As soon as they rush to the bait, the guns blaze. As most are eliminated, some manage to grab a packet or two, proving to the world how the scheme remains such a success at both ends – some get to eat, salving the qualms of those upset at being accused of allowing genocide, others swell the ranks of the dead, facilitating the grand project of ethnic cleansing. When did the world see so clever a two-timing enterprise? The genocidaires of the past gave no food packets; they only killed. Trump and Netanyahu do both at once. What could be smarter? And how could anyone object, not that anyone is objecting. You see, the killings in Gaza are game-hunting; in Ukraine it is people who get killed. Which brings home another sad reality: Curse me if you will, but as a true follower of the Sanatan Dharma, I have been having trouble reconciling Dharma with ethical indifference to the mass murder of a whole innocent population. Nothing is closer in exclusionary genius to Hindutva than Zionism I am unable to swallow the trick that my noble nation's so-noble government played in the United Nations General Assembly. Where 149 countries voted in favour of demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the resumption of humanitarian aid operated by the United Nations, Naya Bharat abstained from voting. Perhaps we were setting up an example of how to eat the cake and have it too: after all, nothing is closer in exclusionary genius to Hindutva than Zionism, and nobody more consequential for ensuring Viksit Bharat than Trump, Musk, the Pentagon, Silicon Valley etc. So, at one canny stroke of turning our face away from genocide, we accomplished the feat of not annoying either of our pals, not knowing how badly this Trump fellow would behave subsequently. But these are risks great governments have to take in the larger national interest. After all, as Vishwa Guru, the worst we can do is to take sides. Then, did we not also abandon our so-close friends in the SCO by abstaining there as well when the organisation to which India belongs issued a statement condemning Israel for attacking Iran? Nobody may thus accuse us of inconsistency in our extraordinary foreign policy towards the comity of nations. Now that I am arguing the case, I say mea culpa for not being able to square these cunning decisions with my Sanatana Dharma. So, give me time and I will follow the leader whose finesse in these matters I have thus far been too incapable of absorbing. In the meanwhile, the Mecca/Medina Islamic world more than matches us in their brand of sagacious cynicism towards the game-hunt in Gaza. Also Read: If Trump Turns Tyrant, Can Others Be Far Behind? As to the fussy International Criminal Court, their warrant of arrest against the conqueror of Palestine and the elimination of innocents remains a residual pinprick from a queasy but defeated world that no longer exists. Why these judges and prosecutors in the Hague should be receiving either the world's attention or their salaries from honest tax-payers is a conundrum that may also be up for resolution should Trump and Netanyahu go from strength to strength, should the grand nations of Europe continue to behave with customary sophistication, and should rising stars like Narendra Modi show the way to moral fusspots whose understanding of great events and great ideas remains atavistic. So help us god, and so may the Palestinian lambs-to-the-slaughter know that they serve a noble and mighty purpose in their canonical sacrifice. Badri Raina taught at Delhi University. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Palestine, IIOJK: Pakistan concerned over systemic torture
ISLAMABAD: Expressing serious concern, Pakistan said the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continued to be subjected to the worst forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the occupying powers to suppress their right to self-determination. 'Pakistan remains gravely concerned at the widespread and systematic use of torture as an instrument of oppression in situations of foreign occupation,' Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated this in a statement on Thursday issued on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The spokesperson added, 'Pakistan stands in solidarity with the victims of torture worldwide and reaffirms its continued commitment to eradicating torture and upholding human dignity.' Gunmen kill dozens of civilians in IIOJK He remarked that Islam upholds the sanctity and dignity of every human being. Any act of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is incompatible with the values of justice, mercy, and compassion that are at the core of Islamic teachings, he asserted. Guided by these values and its international obligations, Ambassador Khan reiterated Pakistan remains committed to eradicating torture and strengthening protections for all individuals. Legal reforms, institutional safeguards, and oversight mechanisms continue to be strengthened by Pakistan to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law, the spokesperson said, adding measures are also being taken to provide victims with medical, legal, and psycho-social support. On this day, Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to condemn the crimes of these occupying powers and to hold them accountable, in addition to helping end the plight of the victims of their torture and oppression. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. It marks the moment when in 1987 the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into effect. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
