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Address by Her majesty, Dr Semane Bonolo Molotlegi, Queen Mother of the Royal Bafokeng Nation.

Distinguished guests, I feel very humbled to have been asked to be a speaker this evening as today is a very special day for us because we have come together in a spirit of partnership and cooperation to show the fact that we are a group of people with a common goal.
Leadership is an internal quality and an everyday practice that develops from keeping things in careful balance: the immediate needs of the present situation and a long term vision to guide change and decision making. Many of us keep our focus firmly on the here and now, and we end up spending most of our energy “putting out fires”. We are tuned in to what’s happening in our immediate environment, and we try to help out however we can. We bear the weight of the world on our shoulders and we often feel like we’re drowning in a sea of crises and never-ending demands on our time.It is significant to understand that leadership is not management. Management is doing things and leadership is doing the right things. Management is “efficiency in climbing the ladder of success” and leadership “determines whether that ladder is leaning against the right wall”. In leadership we can envision new dynamics in our communities, new opportunities and systems, and new forms of prosperity. We strive to design and launch plans and initiatives focused on achieving those visions. We see our version of the future so clearly that we can practically hold it in our hands. Our main frustration is that not many of our colleagues and peers share our vision, and we feel distracted by all the petty issues and problems that stand in the way of achieving profound and lasting change. Leadership is to hold your compassion and activism in one hand, and carry both into everyday activities. The short term balanced against the long term, the crisis of today against the challenges of tomorrow, the needs of the person standing in front of you against the demands of generations unborn. Those of you who do this are the real leaders…the ones capable of taking charge now, but always with a clear sense of direction. This is not a gendered ability; there are both men and women who have shown the wisdom and discipline to use the present to create a better future. It can be done by both young and old. And it is part of leadership whether you are a corporate CEO, a schoolteacher, a hospital administrator, a law enforcement officer, or a parent. It is an approach to the world that is as important in the home as it is in the halls of government. If I can speak more broadly for a moment, let me reflect on some of the challenges we face as a global society. One can look back on the 20th century, and realize that the challenge of the past 100 years was the creation of wealth. The colonial era, the industrial revolution, the technological revolution: the most impressive advances of the 20th century were aimed at the creation and consolidation of wealth. Unfortunately, this was done mostly by the few at the expense of the many. The landed gentry exploited the peasants in Europe; the industrialists exploited the working class immigrants in America; and the northern powers came to Africa and other parts of the world with one overriding aim: to extract our riches and exploit our labor. In that sense, the project of wealth creation in the 20th century was a fabulous success.
Humankind—or select portions of it—became fantastically wealthy and started to live lives of leisure and luxury on a scale never before imagined. Many Africans bought into this dream and participated in the plundering and exploitation of our own societies. So what is the great frontier of the 21st century, now that we have nearly perfected the pursuit of wealth? I would suggest that the most ambitious among us in this century—people who might have been stock brokers or venture capitalists in the last—are now setting our sights on the challenges of poverty alleviation and environmental preservation. We have mastered wealth creation for the few, but we have not achieved acceptable living standards for all. Despite a lot of rhetoric, we have not obliterated hunger, disease, and homelessness. We have not made a dent in the problems of climate change, habitat destruction, and depleting energy sources. These are the challenges that confront us in this century, and it will require great leadership to tackle them successfully. Despite what you might read or hear, one cannot lead alone. Good leaders understand that they are part of a team, and that each member of the team must share in the vision…whether the team is a company of employees or a community of people. Good communication is the visionary’s secret weapon, for only in sharing our vision with those who will ultimately realize it do we unlock the door to the future. Our wider constituencies are part of our team, and they must have the information and understanding they need to help lead the way. It is an undeniable fact that women have played a very important role in the development of the continent. It is also pleasing to note that in recent years, African women from all walks of life have demonstrated capabilities and potentials that extend far beyond domestic and reproductive tasks that must be recognised and adequately tapped to full development efforts. In order to make sure that this does not become theory, Bafokeng in North West Province have launched a Leadership Development Project to explicitly increase our capacity for good decision making at all levels. The objective is to help us understand the assumptions and expectations we bring to our own decision making, whether we are operating in the context of a small business, a home, our traditional council, or in a clinic. We have begun bringing groups of people together from different sectors (government, education, health, religion, law enforcement) to learn about the process of leading and to work together on seeking solutions to problems they face in their villages, like stock theft, drugs in the schools, or hunger. Proof of our success in this endeavor will be a new and greater capacity to address the challenges we face, the ability to respond to issues as a community, and a greater awareness of how global dynamics affect our immediate environment.
In closing, let me emphasise my view and say that leadership is not as simple as being appointed to a position of authority, or as being born with the gift of knowing how to inspire others. It is a skill, an everyday practice, and a necessary component and a challenge to all of us. In order to take on the issues of poverty and sustainability, we need to cultivate leaders in every single one of us. We need to understand that looking at the long term is not enough, that putting out today’s fire is not sufficient, but we need to ensure that the ladder is leaning against the right wall. We need to see ourselves in whatever capacity we serve as leaders. We need to appreciate leadership abilities in our peers, and not simply glorify those who achieve power or fame. Real progress requires real leadership, and I know you all share my passionate desire to see Africa overcome its most intractable problems, and enjoy its god-given beauty and prosperity.

THANK YOU.

Our Profile
• Investor in SME's for 27 years
• Asset base of R 2 billion
• National office network; but localized area offices
• Expand into Africa
• Investment on average 700 investments per annum
• “Blue chip” shareholder profile
• ISO 9002 accredited
• Chairman – Dr. Johan Rupert
• Managing Director is Jo’ Schwenke

Our guidelines
• Investment amount: R250 000 - R15 million
• Industry Sectors:
Manufacturing, retailing, services, franchises,contracts, commercial property, marine, etc.
• Business Partners is a risk financier
• Role is to assist entrepreneurs with limited own capital & limited (no) security
• Our vehicle is to investing in entrepreneurs with customized financing solutions

Investment criteria
• Viable, profit seeking/optimising, sustainable businesses
• Entrepreneur
  - Technical (“doing”) skills
  - Business skills
  - Integrity
• Entrepreneurship (risk-takers)
• Financial risk (collateral / own contribution)
• Financial returns
• Financial reporting/management system
• Investor involvement – hands on, not hands in!

Two Basic Products
Risk Free Deals:
• Loans with good security at competitive interest rates
• Competition from banks
• Very small part of our business

Risk Deals:
This is our real business
• Will structure any deal
• Expect higher return
• Often shareholding between 26% - 49%

Types of investments
• Take overs
• MBO’S
• Expansion (working capital, infrastructure, etc.)
• Start ups
• Franchise operations
• Property
  - Owner occupied
  - Multi tenanted
  - Developments

Franchise operations
• Good for entrepreneurs with limited skills
• Proven systems
• Try to stick with nationals – proven track record
• Must be member of FASA
• Could be expensive
• Look at support offering
• Make sure of franchisors’ objective – align with yours

Expansion into Africa
Business Partners International (BPI) is a partnership joining Business Partners expertise and experience in SMEs with IFC’s reach and development mandate.

The Project aims to provide SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa with integrated financing and technical assistance in a commercially and socially sustainable manner.

BPI has launched its first fund in Madagascar, with a 2nd fund in Kenya and a 3rd Fund currently being set up.

The Fund
The Business Partners Madagascar SME Fund is a US$ 10 million investment fund for SME’s in Madagascar, together with a Parallel US$ 2.0 million Technical Assistance Facility.

Investors
Investors in the fund are:
• International Finance Corporation
• European Investment Bank
• Norfund
• Aro
• Doen Foundation

Investments: target is to invest in 120 businesses over the 5 year investment period.
Gender Target: 30% female
Indigenous investee’s Target: 60%

Technical Assistance
The Funds are supported by Technical Assistance (TA) grants of US$2,0m and US$2,5m respectively, both having been raised from the respective country governments through the support of IDA and the World Bank.

The technical assistance programs sits alongside each Fund with BPI expected to identify each Portfolio Company’s technical assistance needs in terms of three categories:

• Portfolio Company development at time of first approval
• Value added services during the investment term
• Rescue on non performing investments.

Each technical assistance project is structured as a non-interest bearing subordinated loan to the Portfolio Company.

Progress to date: Madagascar
The Fund commenced formal operations in October 2006 and has to date approved 15 investments totaling (US$ 2,810,078). These businesses include:
• Rice milling plant
• Paint manufacturing plant
• Classified newspaper
• Manufacturer of PVC window and door frames
• A small new retail shopping centre
• Printing press
• Bore hole drilling firm
• Fish distribution chain

Progress to date: Kenya
The Fund was formally incorporated in January 2007 and has to date approved twenty investments totaling (US$ 4,357,164). These businesses include:
• Travel agency
• Mobile sanitation service provider
• Agri- business service provider
• Dry cleaning and laundry service
• Road construction contracting company
• Leather tannery
• Service station
• Business outsourcing centre

Way Forward
BPI is currently rolling out the 3rd fund of the 3 Fund pilot initiative, namely, a US$ 10 million Fund in Tanzania.

It is then envisaged that further funds may be raised elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa and potentially beyond.

Permettez-moi avant tout propos de saisir l’occasion qui m’est offerte pour dire merci aux organisateurs de ce Forum, rendez-vous très enrichissant et attrayant comme en témoigne le thème les Femmes Entrepreneurs : Réserves de Croissance en Afrique.

Je profite de l’occasion pour vous présenter d’abord l’Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM).

L’Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM) dont j’ai l’honneur d’assumer la Présidence est une association pionnière fondée en 1945 en France, dans le but de promouvoir l’entreprenariat féminin, en réunissant dans un vaste réseau d’échanges, des femmes ayant en commun l’esprit d’entreprise.

Aujourd’hui FCEM est présente dans plus de 60 pays répartis sur les cinq continents. Soixante ans après sa création, FCEM est la voix unifiée et porte-parole des femmes chefs d’entreprises du monde, dont elle défend les intérêts auprès des gouvernements et des Instances Internationales, publiques ou privées.

Elle offre l’opportunité d’expériences enrichissantes et de renforcement des entreprises par des rencontres entre femmes partageant le même esprit entreprenarial.

• échanger des expériences d’affaires, gestion d’entreprises et la vie professionnelle,
• explorer les opportunités d’affaires, du commerce international, du mentoring,
• entreprendre des joint-ventures, identifier les ressources et s’engager dans l’externalisation ;
• créer des partenariats techniques et financiers et développer la co-traitrance et la sous-traitance ;
• s’imprégner des différentes cultures d’affaires et des sociétés,
• développer des contacts internationaux et des amitiés internationales.

Revenons maintenant au sujet du jour, à savoir les Femmes Entrepreneurs : Réserves de Croissance en Afrique.
Il est difficile de parler de développement sans croissance bien qu’il puisse avoir croissance sans développement. La plupart des sociétés développées ou en développement se battent pour la génération de revenus qui peut être considérée comme l’accumulation à long terme des richesses et justement l’entreprise est le milieu par excellence de création de richesse et dont de génération de la croissance. Et nous savons que les femmes constituent la plus grande proportion de notre population, par conséquent, s’il leur est donné la possibilité de créer des entreprises, elles pourront contribuer plus et mieux à la croissance. C’est donc l’intérêt de notre thème : les Femmes Entrepreneurs : Réserves de Croissance en Afrique.

Pourquoi réserves de croissance ? simplement parce que les femmes rencontrent un certain nombre de problèmes à créer des entreprises non pas à cause du niveau intellectuel mais à cause des préjugés de plusieurs ordres qui constituent autant de contraintes à leur émancipation comme chef d’entreprise.

Parmi ces contraintes, on peut citer :
• Contrainte foncière : La femme n’hérite pas de la terre au contraire du garçon
• le manque de formation et éducation: la formation du garçon est privilégiée par rapport à celle de la jeune fille dans certaines sociétés,
•l’accès à certaines professions dont les femmes sont exclues
• l’accès au financement: manque de confiance aux femmes, pourtant elles sont des meilleures gestionnaires.

A cause de toutes ces contraintes, ce que la femme peut apporter comme chef d’entreprise demeure à l’état de potentiel, à l’état de réserves, et constitue autant de déficit de création de richesses pour contribuer à la croissance ; ceci est particulièrement vrai dans notre continent où certains hommes éprouvent un certain complexe à parler affaire avec les femmes ; c’est une grande perte pour l’Afrique qui ne peut exploiter ce potentiel de croissance qui reste en réserve.

Aujourd’hui, on compte les femmes dans certains domaines de la vie socio professionnelle tels que la santé, la finance, l’éducation, les services ; mais elles auraient pu exceller dans d’autres domaines tels que le pilotage des avions, les travaux publics, les NTIC, la mécanique.

L’Afrique a pourtant besoin d’entrepreneurs, de beaucoup d’entrepreneurs et on constate que les gouvernements initient de plus en plus des programmes de création de PME et PMI orientées vers le genre.

Cela a permis d’évaluer périodiquement l’impact de ces mesures sur la réussite des entreprises dirigées par des femmes et diffuser les bons modèles ainsi que les meilleures pratiques, en coopération avec des grandes organisations internationales comme l’OCDE, l’Union Européenne, l’APEC, le CNUCED, le BIT, l’UNIFEM de façon à améliorer sans cesse politiques et programmes.

Ces exemples qui sont en fait des « succès stories » ont pour objectifs de sensibiliser les femmes à l’entreprenariat et sont des modèles qu’elles doivent suivre afin de réveiller ce potentiel constitué par de nombreuses futures chefs d’entreprises car avec plus d’entreprises on aura plus de production, avec plus de production, plus de richesse et enfin plus de croissance.

Ce n’est un secret pour personne que la production des biens et services stagne en Afrique à cause du taux de croissance économique très faible or pendant la même période la Chine a un taux de croissance à 2 chiffres (10,5%).

Par conséquent la route est encore longue pour les pays africains qui devraient compter sur cette force qui est les femmes chefs d’entreprises ; 50 ans après les indépendances, l’Afrique participe toujours pour moins de 2% au commerce international, c’est dire qu’elle a besoin de toutes ces énergies pour produire plus, notamment avec l’avènement prochaine de l’entrée en application du libre échange qui imposerait plus de compétitivité et plus de concurrents au nombre desquelles devraient figurer les femmes chefs d’entreprises.

Actions à mener:

Les femmes entrepreneurs créent des emplois pour elles-mêmes et pour les autres, tout en apportant à la société du fait de leur spécifité, des solutions différentes pour des problèmes des entreprises économiques. Cependant elles sont encore minoritaires parmi les chefs d’entreprises. Il existe dont un disfonctionnement du marché qui opère une discrimination à leur encontre en faisant obstacle à leur capacité à créer et à faire prospérer une entreprise.
Les décideurs politiques doivent remédier à ce dysfonctionnement afin que le potentiel économique de cette catégorie d’entrepreneurs puisse être pleinement exploité.

Ils doivent aussi réduire l’inégalité qui existe entre l’homme et la femme afin de tenir compte des besoins spécifiques des femmes entrepreneurs et de celles qui souhaitent le devenir ; d’où les principales recommandations d’action:

Enfin la femme elle-même doit :

• Evaluer ses propres capacités pour mitiger ses faiblesses et doper son moral,
• Choisir un bon projet,
• S’assurer des conditions de réussite du projet,
• Se doter des moyens de gestion et des outils de contrôle,
• Bénéficier des dispositifs d’appui.

En conclusion, toutes ces approches et initiatives proposées vont dans le sens des efforts que nous FCEM, soutenons avec l’aide des gouvernements et des institutions internationales pour aider les entreprises féminines en identifiant les créneaux spécifiques dans lesquels elles offrent un avantage comparatif en mettant notamment l’accent sur le renforcement des capacités des associations d’entreprises, la promotion d’alliances stratégiques, le développement d’entreprises et l’appui au financement.

Je vous remercie pour votre bienveillante attention.

INTRODUCTION
AMEN, Inc. is a private Christian non-profit organization, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. The AFRICARIBE network is made up of individual entrepreneurs, development practitioners and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in small enterprise development in Africa, the Caribbean and the USA. AMEN, Inc. was created in response to micro entrepreneurs’ need for increased access to information, training, credit, technical assistance, markets, and other supporting resources that would create and sustain a more enabling environment for growth and development of their businesses. We ensure that sixty percent of our clients are women.

CELEBRATING AFRICAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
It gives me so much pleasure to recognize and celebrate the millions and millions of women entrepreneurs throughout Africa that have decided they and their families will survive despite the harsh realities of day-to-day living in many countries. They literally have taken the bull (of starvation) by its horns when they go into business. African business women are saying “AT ALL ODDS----:
“WE WILL SURVIVE”
“WE WILL FEED AND CLOTHE OUR FAMILIES”
“WE WILL EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN”

I celebrate various categories of African Women Entrepreneurs
• I celebrate budding women entrepreneurs
• I celebrate the women hawkers and petty traders
• I celebrate the market women
• I celebrate the micro entrepreneurs
• I celebrate the small business owners
• I celebrate the women owners of medium and large sized business

As we continue to recognize and celebrate the efforts of all these categories of African women entrepreneurs, we must endeavor to find out the needs of those at the bottom of the hierarchy and develop programs and strategies that will help them climb up to the higher rungs of the ladder of business success. With this in mind, we have designed an exciting private sector development program for Africa that recognizes the special challenges of women and unemployed youth.

PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

The private sector presents a major contributor to most economies and therefore needs to be given a high priority in developing it, in order for it to make even greater impact in the micro- and macro-economic environments.
At AMEN, Inc., we are trying to emphasize for the growth and expansion of MSMEs through business development service (BDS). BDS however, is more than training and technical assistance, but includes Market Access; Infrastructure; Inputs & Supplies; Technology and Product Development; Training and Technical Assistance; and Alternative Financing.

Since 1997, AMEN has successfully implemented several innovative BDS programs to assist African micro, small and medium enterprises, develop and access markets in Africa and the USA. We have provided business development and support services to help entrepreneurs towards greater productivity, sales and revenue, and growth. From experiences gained and needs expressed by the private sector operators, AMEN is implementing a three-pronged approach to private sector development in Africa and the USA.

PART ONE
“AFRICA CAN COMPETE in the Global Economy”™ Global Campaign in the USA

PART TWO
“AFRICA CAN COMPETE in the Global Economy”™ In-Country Conferences and Training Seminars Africa can only be competitive if the Informal Sector is formalized and MSMEs are strengthened to provide goods and services for international trade.

PART THREE
Setting-up Small Enterprise Development Centers (SEDCs) throughout Africa Through the combination of research, entrepreneurship training, computer training, a business services center, and a small business incubator, the SEDCs will be ‘one-stop shops’ for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their businesses. Capacity building of women and youth entrepreneurs will be given priority as we establish these centers, taking into account their low literacy rates, lack of collateral for business loans and other challenges.

Rebuilding Africa’s Economy through Women and……

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT is dependant upon ……

SERVICE DELIVERY which is dependant upon ……..
LEADERSHIP. LEADERSHIP is essential for …….
SERVICE DELIVERY ……. initiated by our WOMEN ……. by implementing …..

PPP - PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS

PPP – AN OPTION TO LED?,br /> YES !…..YES !…… YES !…… WHY?

The Risk Factor
Essential for Service Delivery

PPP’s and it’s impact on DEVELOPMENT
Initial Cost Implications
Capital Expansions
Service Delivery
Improved Collections
Investment Opportunities

Issues hindering or impacting on investment ……
• Limited market size
• Limited Growth potential
• Poor Infrastructure
• Unstable currency
• Business Climate and Efficiency
• Regulation (Red Tape)
• Corruption
• Skills Shortages
• Labour regulation and labour costs
• Barriers to entry
• Poverty and unemployment
• High rate of external debts
• Political instability
• War and unrest
• No rule of law
• Lack of good governance
• Lack of transparency
• Lack of investor security
• Mismanagement
• Bad neighbourhood
• Foreign exchange instability
• Inflation rates
• Lack of Privatisation
• Government monopoly
• Lack of incentives and tax holidays
• No profit repatriation
• No Bi- and multilateral agreements
• Perceptions –
• Africa perceived as one country

The importance of a mutual corporation between the public and the private sector

Socio-cultural
Local attitudes and behaviour
The importance of a mutual corporation between the public and the private sector is all about ….
PPP
PROCESS OF POSITIVE PARTICIPATION

IT’S ALL ABOUT ….

TAKING OWNERSHIP
LEADERSHIP

Leadership is the ability to rise to the challenge of change and to balance the requirements of diversity in order to realize the full potential of people so that THEY might fulfill their life aspirations; and to promote a climate for self-actualization, whilst constantly striving to deliver the vision!

The ability of an individual to influence , motivate and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of organizations of which they are members (Simonton 1994)
Ability to influence, motivate, enable others to contribute to the success of their organization (GLOBE 1999)
An ability that causes people to follow. (Kindel 1999)

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER…?
Am I born a Leader?
Can I Lead and Manage?
Can I train to be a Leader?
Do I LEAD or RULE?

LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT THE “YOU”:
If YOU have a Vision – YOU need to deliver
If YOU are ACCOUNTABLE – YOU need to LEAD
To LEAD – YOU need PEOPLE
If YOU have PEOPLE – YOU need to believe in YOURSELF
If you believe in YOURSELF – YOU can Deliver

LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT THE ABILITY TO:
Acknowledge your Ability
Listen and Learn
Manage the Challenge of Change
Remain CONSISTANT in your ACTIONS
Influence Motivate Enable
Deliver the Vision

LEADERSHIP
PEOPLE
Your GREATEST Enabler!
You have to gain their TRUST!
You have to constantly MOTIVATE them!
You have to ALWAYS be CONSISTENT in your actions!
THANK YOU