SME Growth Exporter Programme in South Africa

SME Growth Exporter Programme in South Africa

Potential programme participants are required to be exporting either a good or goods manufactured in one or more of the key product categories:

• Food products: Processes foods and fresh produce

• Beverages: Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

• Ready-to-Wear: Apparel and Jewellery

• Home Goods: Leather goods, gifting and decor

• Non-Prescription Health: Beauty products, over the counter health, wellness and vitamin products

Programme objectives:

The SME Growth Exporter Programme in partnership with FNB supports businesses that are already exporting, either directly or indirectly, by walking the export scale up journey with them through access to skills, market and funding. With a high touch development Growth Plan delivered over the 18-month intervention, the SME Growth Exporter Programme in partnership with FNB aims to drive business development and sustainability by strengthening trade relations, reach and market access. The programme objectives will provide participants with a holistic approach to;

1. Improved trade knowledge and operation processes: Deep focus on trade knowledge share and development to improve export and import processes, regulation, business models and operations.

2. Improve business efficiencies and sustainability: Focus on business skills development with general financial, growth and business efficiencies such as capacity, cost controls, pricing, systems, processes, tools

3. Improve business growth: Through access to markets and lowering barriers to entry, SMEs will increase markets and countries of reach, research and exit unprofitable markets, increase the number of customers and distributors, and improve revenues and profitability

The SME Growth Exporter Programme in partnership with FNB provides multiple core programme resources, interventions and access to funding opportunities that are all structured with three key focus areas in mind;

• Export Product Development: Market-specific product development and new market alignment, product packaging, product certification and modifications as well as increasing product line and offering to access or test new potential markets.

• Trade Operations: Unlocking operations and trade barriers to accessing export-specific markets in relation to ways of work, operational processes or regulation

• International (and Regional) Market Access: Direct market access opportunities, trade facilitations and relation support to increase international trade and export orders

The programme leverages the ESD financial and non-financial support ecosystem which First Rand has developed, by providing participants on this programme with tailored Business Development Support (BDS) to improve growth and funding readiness. This includes the opportunity for programme participants to apply for innovative funding solutions to further propel business growth.

Programme Structure:

The SME Growth Exporter Programme in partnership with FNB is an 18-month intensive and well resourced programme. A maximum of 15 SMEs will be selected to be part of the programme, which commences on the 1st July 2025 and run until December 2026.

The programme is structured into 2 Phases, Build (6 months focus on building export strategy) and Execute (12 months focus on executing on the identified export strategy) and offers participants a variety of needs based interventions and resources. Programme interventions are guided by your development Growth Plan, by identifying both business gaps and business opportunities from which programme support can be based. Throughout the 18 month programme, successful applications can expect:

1. A Business Diagnostic assessment that provides insights into your business’s strengths, weaknesses, and growth opportunities.

2. A Growth Plan formulated

specifically for your business, based on the outcomes of your Business Diagnostic assessment and financial health assessment .

3. A Financial Health Assessment to assess business profitability, current financial standing and other potential financial gaps that may be a barrier in accessing funding and unlocking your business funding potential.

4. An Assigned General Business Mentor who will work closely with you and your business on a 1-on-1 basis for 18 months of the programme as you both work through a customised Growth Plan focused on strengthening market, skills and funding.

5. An Assigned Export Product Mentor who will work closely with you and your business on a 1-on-1 basis for 18 months of the programme as you both work through a customised Export Growth Plan focused on export product, production and trade activities.

6. Access to practical business skills and expertise through 10 topical in-person bootcamps, held over the 18 month programme duration, that are geared at addressing export and business skills development.

7. Access to Export Expert skills to help unlock key identified barriers and points of growth as identified in your unique growth plan.

8. Specialists projects, identified through your Growth Plan, to unlock strategic growth in the core focus areas of Improved Business Efficiencies, improved Trade Operations and improved Business Growth.

9. Access to funding support to help assess your funding need, affordability and potential funding applications.

10. Access to apply for the innovative in-house funding solutions.

Creating Access for SA’s Exporters

The SME Growth Exporter Programme is a tailored, comprehensive and intensive approach that focuses on 3 key areas to drive sustainable growth;

1. Access to Skills

2. Access to Market and

3. Access to Funding.

Access to Skills:

Through programme interventions, participants will receive practical general business and export training focused on the concepts that matter most to improving your return on export efforts. Ongoing, intense support and resources are provided via a general business mentor, export product mentor, special projects and focused export experts will embed the concepts that matter most to drive growth and business sustainability.

Access to Market:

Pre-trade show and pre-sale support to increase the return of sales efforts and maximise available opportunities to engage buyers to close a new sale or increase sales. A dedicated access to market resource is provided in the programme to support on identifying opportunities, working with beneficial third parties to unlock funding and access as well as support in lowering barriers to trade and regulations.

Access to Funding:

Access to growth funding, to meet increasing demand on production and scale, is guided by a dedicated funding support participating to participating SMEs to increase the exposure to available funding opportunities that are fit-for-market, need and SME life stage.

For More Information and Application Details, See;

SME Growth Exporter Programme in South Africa

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