Media around the world caught on to the significance of the inaugural Global SME Ministerial Meeting, which created a new political arena for collaboration, sharing best practices, and advocacy in support of SME competitiveness.
Nearly 400 articles in eight languages, originating in 39 countries, showcased the Ministerial and its call to action that sets out a biennial roadmap for SME development, based on three key areas: access to finance, digital transformation and green transition for small businesses.
Those stories were seen by nearly 150 million users around the world, showing the broad appeal of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and its efforts to elevate the political importance of the small businesses constituency in international spaces.
Small businesses make up the backbone of most economies, accounting for 90% of all companies and more than half of jobs worldwide.
With such a large economic impact, the Global SME Ministerial in Johannesburg, South Africa, garnered coverage from outlets such as CNBC, Xinhua, Youm 7, El Dinero, Prensa Latina and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton explained on CNBC why the Ministerial needed to create a platform where countries can focus on the concerns of small businesses.
‘One of the challenges with SMEs is that they are dealt with almost as an afterthought, or as an aside,’ she told CBC Africa. ‘We believe this was a moment for us to bring together representation at the highest political level for SMEs, to begin to discuss, to exchange ideas, to just have peer-to-peer conversations among ministers.’
The South African national broadcaster SABC devoted airtime to interviews and coverage of the Ministerial, including the call for better access to finance and investment for small businesses.
This historic initiative recognizes small and medium-sized enterprises as essential pillars of global economic development. Ibrahima Thiam, Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry and Commerce, in charge of the Development of Small and Medium Industries, SenegalSpeaking in Le Soleil
For South Africa, the Ministerial marked a milestone leading to the summit of the Group of 20 nations later this year in Johannesburg. To connect the Ministerial to the G20, South Africa launched a new Startup20 initiative, a gathering that looked at ways to support entrepreneurs.
The Guardian in Nigeria highlighted key messages from the SME Competitiveness Outlook, ITC's flagship report about small and medium-sized enterprises, which was launched at the Ministerial. The paper looked at findings on how small business experience major performance gains when they use digital technology, with recommendations on how to make those tools more widely available. The ITC report draws on a survey of 7,400 companies in 78 countries. That research found that more than 80% of firms that use digital technologies report higher sales and lower costs.
The extensive coverage – including in outlets like AllAfrica, Ethiopian News Agency, Africa News Agency, and UN News – highlighted the event's global significance and broad appeal.