Corporate’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) for SMMEs Through Incubation Programme

South Africa’s post-apartheid government initiated the broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) policy with the aim of empowering the previously disadvantaged citizens of the country, address inequality, eradicate poverty, and improve economic growth. The policy requires large international corporations to partner with local black-owned small to medium-sized micro-enterprises (SMMEs), where the enterprise and supplier development (ESD) element of the BBBEE score card and incubations are used as a vehicle. This chapter will discuss what support services are provided to SMMEs, the business partnership structures that are formed, factors such as knowledge/skills transfer, intellectual property rights, benefits derived, and challenges.