7.0
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS
Intensity of efforts: low Impact on job creation: medium Time horizon: short-term
Support initiatives for continuous professional development (CPD) for existing employees in social enterprises: – As social enterprises grow and increase their operational capacity, there is a need for their staff to improve their skills and be able to deal with this increased capacity. However, social enterprises face particularly big challenges in providing lifelong learning opportunities for existing employees, thereby making sure they can sustain necessary human resources and provide them with the skills that are needed for the social enterprises to grow and thrive. This support can be provided through various organizations that provide professional development programs that increase both the performance and the satisfaction of staff members. Intensity of efforts: medium Impact on job creation: medium Time horizon: short-term
Enabling Environment The third pillar of the recommendations focuses on interventions that can improve general conditions, that is, the enabling environment, in which social enterprises operate. This is particularly important as social entrepreneurship is weakly institutionalized in most countries across the globe, including Africa. They typically fill the gaps between private and third sector
work as an alien type of organization. However, only if social enterprises become a recognized and well understood type of organization can they leverage sufficient support to grow and, thus, increase their importance as providers of employment opportunities.
Promoting the Growth of SEs Collective influence Social enterprises owing to their small size and being “a small fish in a big pond” typically have limited visibility and social capital. As a result, the interests of social enterprises do not get on the radar of policy makers or public discourse. Given the weak institutionalization of social enterprises in most countries, across the globe and in the focus countries of this report, it is essential to foster initiatives that strengthen the collective influence of social enterprises to help them become a recognized type of organization, both in terms of public awareness and legal status. This will help social enterprises receive the support that they need to grow and create the aspired impact. For this purpose, development partners should: Support local social entrepreneurs to establish social enterprise bodies: – Development partners, investors, and advisors should support social entrepreneurs to establish local social enterprise bodies that represent their interest in policy formulation, licensing requirements, tax governance mechanisms, and tariff regulations. So far, only five of this study’s focus countries (Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Kenya) have social enterprise bodies. These bodies typically engage with a variety of players, above all governments, to enhance transparency and curate a long-term roadmap for social enterprise support. This intervention can be done on a government-to-government level, where consultative discussions and collaborations can be done
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