On
Monday, the World Economic Forum announced a new
pilot initiative to match local entrepreneurs in
Brazil and South Africa with private sector resources.
This
is the first in a series of efforts to simulate partnerships
that could lead to the creation of global "enterprise
exchanges." The initiative has corporate support
from Accenture, the Hewlett Packard Company and KPMG.
The South African non-profit organization Bridges.org
and the Brazilian Center for Advanced and System Studies
(CESAR) are also assisting in the project.
"After all the talk on this issue in the
past, now is the time to take action," said
Vernon Ellis, International Chairman of Accenture,
which leads the task force's Entrepreneurship
Steering Committee. "There is an abundance
of entrepreneurial potential in the developing
world. But the lack of basic business resources
is preventing its realization. We need to work
hard and urgently to foster real on-the-ground
development."
In South Africa, two projects are underway:
BuySouthAfricaOnline (BSAOL) helps South African
small and medium-sized businesses sell their
products to local and export markets; and Shawco
provides healthcare and social services through
community centers. In Brazil, the Forum is working
with NeuroTech, a high-technology company that
develops data mining solutions for credit risk
assessment and fraud detection. This initiative
follows the model of many leading nongovernmental
organizations, such as NetAid, which work through
public-private partnerships.
"We are seeing international companies
roll up their shirt-sleeves and get to work to
help fledgling entrepreneurs in developing countries," said
Teresa Peters, Executive Director of Bridges.org. "We
can ensure that these efforts have a wider impact
by telling the story about what works best."
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