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PRESS RELEASE
30 May 2023
“GEAP is moving 150 SA entrepreneurs forward to global markets”
The Global Export Accelerator Partnership (GEAP) is proud to host an upcoming networking event on the 14th of June in Cape Town, showcasing 150+ successful, export-oriented South African Black-owned businesses to an international audience.
In 2022, four dynamic South African Chambers of Commerce (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, and Pietermaritzburg) and the South African Supplier Diversity Council (SASDC) forged the Global Export Accelerator Partnership (GEAP). This was made possible through the Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) Programme, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The Partnership aimed to stimulate job creation and income generation by building capacities of local, Black-owned enterprises to export their products or services.
After one year of rigorous export training, dedicated mentorship sessions and market linkage activities, more than 150 Black-owned small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are now ready to “move forward” and enter global markets.
The capstone of their efforts will be placed at a networking and showcase event on the 14th of June 2023 in Cape Town at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The 150+ Black-owned businesses - or GEAPers as they call themselves - will have the opportunity to network with like-minded entrepreneurs, corporates interested in diversifying their supply chains, and funders who are interested both in funding entrepreneurs on the next stage of their journeys and supporting the ongoing rollout of the GEAP programme.
The “Moving Entrepreneurs Forward” event will be used as a platform to celebrate the programme’s success by highlighting outstanding achievements. An exhibition will also be held to allow the SMEs to showcase their offerings and network with key stakeholders such as donors, investors and relevant authorities. The programme will include panel discussions on SME access to target-markets, government support, and finance.
More information on the GEAP event and about the journey of the beneficiaries can be found on the GEAP website (https://geap.sasdc.org.za/).
