Deputy Minister Singh: Speech at the 2026 Ambassadors and Executives Networking Luncheon Cedarwoods of Sandton Hotel, Woodmead

21 April 2026

Programme Director      
Ms Arlene Wilson-Max and Mr Aamir Butt -      
Innovative Entrepreneurs NPC      
Mr Svend Littauer - the SA Chamber UK.      
Mr Rajen Pillay – CEO of Garuda Capital      
Diplomatic Representatives and Business     
Chambers:

• Botswana

• Cameroon  

• Canada 

• Congo  

• Cote D’Ivoire  

• Eswatini 

• French SA Chamber  

• Ghana  

• India 

• Italy 

• Lesotho 

• Malawi 

• Malaysia  

• Mauritius 

• Mozambique  

• Namibia 

• Nigeria  

• Russia  

• SA Chamber UK  

• Somalia  

• Tanzania 

• UK Department of Business and Trade  

• Zambia

Ms Prischina Pillay,   
BMW South Africa Distinguished Guests   
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure to join you today at the 2026 Ambassadors and Executives Networking Luncheon, a strategic platform that brings together government, diplomacy, and the private sector to advance intra-Africa trade, investment, and enterprise development.

Platforms such as these are important - because they move us beyond dialogue, towards practical partnerships that deliver impact, particularly for small and medium enterprises across the continent.

During February, this year, I delivered a keynote address at the Africa Green Economy Summit. It was encouraging to note the level of dedication and support being provided to develop small businesses, not only in South Africa, but across the Continent. The underlying factor being green enterprise development, lowering carbon emissions, both across business operations and product output.

A second key point of interest was, that the Summit aimed at addressing small businesses, both within the mitigation and adaptation sectors.

Whilst the Summit did aim to address digitisation and technology uptake, todays Networking Luncheon, bears testament to the need for focused discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in relation to enterprise development, market access, and scaling of SMMEs across sectors.

In this regard, allow me to commend Innovative Entrepreneurs NPC on the launch of the 15,000 SME Development AI Platform.

This is a bold and timely initiative that recognises the transformative role that technology, innovation, and structured support can play in building sustainable enterprises. By supporting SMEs with market access, capacity development, investment readiness and performance monitoring, the platform has the potential to reshape the SME ecosystem in South Africa and across the continent.

Initiatives such as this are critically important. Our sectors are deeply interconnected with entrepreneurship, local economic development, and sustainable livelihoods.

Across forestry, fisheries, biodiversity economy, waste management, recycling, green manufacturing, eco-tourism and climate-smart agriculture, SMEs are at the centre of implementation.

Small enterprises are planting trees, restoring degraded land, managing community forestry projects, supporting aquaculture development, recycling waste, and building green businesses that contribute to both economic growth and environmental sustainability. These entrepreneurs are not only job creators, they are environmental stewards and drivers of climate resilience.

The Public Sector is also gearing up. On 25 March 2026, Cabinet approved the South African National Artificial Intelligence Policy. The draft Policy document was published for public comment on 10 April 2026 with the comment period concluding on 10 June 2026.

Noting also the implications of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the draft policy focuses on the development of sector-specific strategies, including trade, infrastructure, manufacturing, transport and energy, as well as addressing high, medium and low-risk AI use cases.

The key position is that AI should be used as a tool without compromising the Bill of Rights, while ensuring that South Africa keeps pace with global developments and addresses the ethical use of AI systems.

Many of the small business ideas have been disruptive in nature - often working ahead of the rest. If one considers the use of AI in business, it is evident that South African enterprises are at varying levels of adoption.

Several sectors find AI use as being most beneficial. These are:

• Sectors where tasks are repetitive - working with data 

• Enhancing decision-making 

• Product development 

• Customer service and marketing

A case in point: A recent study which was undertaken by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) emphasised how SMMEs, operating outside the cooperative model, generally perform better and contributed more effectively to waste collection and recycling.

The study also highlighted that enterprise type and structure were critical: only 12% of cooperatives survived overall, and approximately 8.1% survived in the waste sector. Key barriers experienced by waste-sector MSMEs included slow uptake of technology and innovation, limited access to markets (including exports), weak business capacity within cooperative structures, and difficulty adapting to changes in global markets.

Perhaps, AI use could improve efficiency, resolve issues and unlock potential new opportunities.

Allow me to reflect on a second case in point - the Bioproducts Advancement Network of South Africa, also known as BioPANZA, is one example of an Operation Phakisa-Biodiversity Economy initiative.

BioPANZA is a national platform of both domestic and international Business Support Organisations and is co-led by the DFFE, DSTI and the dtic. It supports enterprises with technical, regulatory and business development, while facilitating connections between investors, off-takers and government.

BioPANZA also leverages from optimised systems of the network thus, reducing transaction and due‑diligence costs whilst providing improved visibility of high‑quality deal flow.

To date, BioPANZA has incubated over 50 Biotrade MSMEs and improved their readiness to participate in domestic and international markets.

The question then becomes: how can AI further enhance these enterprises, particularly in areas such as market intelligence, product positioning, and scaling of operations?

There is a clear market for the uptake of AI, especially in industries requiring precision, such as manufacturing and assembly. AI adoption can improve efficiency — and for business, time is money.

The launch of the SME Development AI Platform directly responds to many of the challenges faced by small businesses, including access to information, finance, markets, and product development support.

At the same time, we must remain aware of the associated challenges, including cost of adoption, return on investment, integration into workplaces, skills gaps, and potential resistance to change.

The key question remains:

Is AI assisting businesses to improve human capability and decision-making, or is it replacing it?

There are both advantages and risks -  and it is important that SMMEs are supported in making informed decisions on how best to integrate AI into their operations.

Distinguished Guests,

Africa’s growth will be driven by its entrepreneurs. Our responsibility, as government and partners, is to create the enabling environment that allows SMEs to thrive - including access to markets, finance, skills, technology, and cross-border opportunities.

The collaboration we see here today, between Innovative Entrepreneurs NPC, diplomatic missions and the private sector, represents exactly the type of partnership required to advance intra-Africa trade and investment

As government, we stand ready to support such initiatives and to work with all stakeholders to ensure that SMEs within our sectors benefit from this platform.

Allow me to congratulate you on the Launch of the SME Development AI Platform. I wish you well

I thank you.