Building businesses. Transforming futures

In 2025, the group supported 546 MSMEs across 30 national projects, working alongside 49 Saica-associated practices and 67 skilled volunteers to deliver structured development, mentorship and financial expertise. The focus on inclusion remains intentional and measurable, with 347 women-owned businesses were empowered, alongside significant growth in youth-owned enterprises, reinforcing a strong commitment to advancing underrepresented entrepreneurs.

This impact is rooted in a few offerings. The Hope Factory activates Socio-Economic and Skills Development programmes, enabling unemployed individuals, particularly youth, to start and build micro enterprises. Saica ED offers customised enterprise and supplier development through embedding financial excellence in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), focusing on compliance and Enterprise and Supplier Development support, ensuring businesses are not only started, but sustained and scaled.

Together, this approach equips entrepreneurs with critical future skills, from financial literacy and capability to be operationally viable and market ready, positioning them to participate actively in evolving sectors that attempt to transform our economy effectively.

The outcomes go beyond training and coaching into measurable economic impact. Across programmes, businesses reported positive revenue growth, increased profitability, job creation, and improved compliance, while many accessed new markets, secured contracts, and unlocked funding opportunities. Structured initiatives such as loan readiness programmes and Enterprise and Supplier Development partnerships enabled entrepreneurs to move closer to growth capital, with selected participants advancing through funding pipelines and investment readiness stages.

What stands out the most is how these interventions translate into real, human stories of change. Entrepreneurs like Lindelwa Mabila, who grew her cleaning chemical manufacturing business and increased employment from two to six staff members, illustrate how targeted support creates lasting social and business legacies within communities. These stories are real, and represent a broader movement of small businesses evolving into sustainable contributors to local economies.

Behind this progress is a powerful ecosystem of collaboration. Partnerships with corporates, industry bodies and development agencies continue to expand reach and deepen impact, ensuring entrepreneurs receive holistic support – combining skills, mentorship, market access, and funding pathways. It is this collective approach that enables scalable, inclusive growth while strengthening South Africa’s broader MSME landscape.

The Hope Factory and Saica Enterprise Development 2025 Impact Report provide a clear view of how entrepreneurial development drives economic transformation, showcasing sector-based interventions, measurable outcomes and inspiring success stories that demonstrate what is possible when collaboration meets purpose.

To explore the full scope of the impact, stories and insights, download the 2025 Impact Report and join the journey of building South Africa’s next generation of entrepreneurs.