Entrepreneur SA launched as 'South Africa's largest weekly newspaper'

Published by Nubia Media and Publishing, a 100% Black owned media company, the entry of Entrepreneur SA into the weekly newspaper market as a national player, marks an important milestone in the economic transformation of the print media, and a significant stride for Black Economic Empowerment.

Central to the growth of the economy is the development of a vibrant Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) sector which, development experts agree, is the key to resolving many societal challenges, including job creation.

The statistics below encapsulate the importance of the more than 1.5 million enterprises constituting the SMME sector, in the general drive to grow the South African economy:

SMMEs represent 97.5% of the total number of business firms in SA.

Contribute 34.8% of the country's GDP.

Employ 55% of the country's labour force.

Contribute 42% of total remuneration.

Conceived by entrepreneurs with a passionate interest in SMME development that spans over 12 years, and three previous attempts in publishing, the founders of Entrepreneur SA have combined a number of and innovative and creative features that they say will make this publication unique in the industry, which include the following:

1. The positioning of the newspaper as a stand-lone Business Supplement in the non-mainstream community newspapers market is the 'first' in the industry, making the newspaper effective in addressing the issues of SMME in an accessible and area-relevant manner.

2. The editorial focus of the paper is developmental, offering readers the 'how to' tools. This is an alternative read compared to the 'news only' style of mainstream weekly business papers.

3. The 100% SMME content of the newspaper will make it a preferred read for established, as well as emerging businesses

4. It addresses issues of economic transformation and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in an integrated and holistic manner, and from the perspective of the SMME.

5. The Tender Journal of the newspaper offers the SMME community a reliable and cost effective source of the multi-billion rand procurement information from national, provincial and local government departments, the state owned enterprises, as well as the private sector.

The company has entered into distribution agreements with the Caxton Group and negotiations are underway to clinch similar agreements with other media organisations.