Africa Gets Only 23% of the Climate Finance It Needs – And Pays Too Much for It
Climate finance should not be separated from development funding.
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Discovery of Ancient DNA From Antelope Fossils in South Africa Opens a New Window on the Past
Researchers managed to extract DNA from African fossils dating back to the last ice age.
DRC’s Ebola Epidemic Could Be the Worst in History: 4 Things That Could Help End It
The next phase of the response must not be about deploying more people into communities simply to deliver interventions.
Europe Relies on Morocco to Keep Migrants Out – Ceuta Shows the Political Cost
International attention needs to be paid to Europe’s outsourcing of border controls, and to the relationship between Spain and Morocco.
NSBC AFRICA AND TRANSUNION AFRICA LAUNCHES ACCESS TO FINANCE™ TO HELP SMEs ACCESS RELEVANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
National Small Business Chamber (NSBC) Africa and TransUnion Africa today officially launched Access to Finance™, a national Small Medium Enterprise (SME) funding initiative created and powered by NSBC Africa to help South African SMEs better understand their funding requirements and connect qualifying businesses with participating funders aligned to their funding needs.
Mike Anderson, Founder & CEO of NSBC Africa launched Access to Finance™ at the opening of The Business Show: Africa 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, where thousands of entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, funders, leading brands and business decision makers are gathering for two days of business growth and opportunity.
Access to Finance™ forms part of NSBC Africa’s broader national business growth ecosystem and its longstanding mission to help entrepreneurs and SMEs access the opportunities, resources, funding and connections they need to build sustainable and successful businesses.
At its core, the initiative seeks to address one of the most persistent challenges facing South African entrepreneurs and growing businesses: accessing the right finance, at the right stage, from the right funding provider. For many SMEs, the funding landscape can be complex and difficult to navigate. Businesses may not know whether they are funding-ready, what type of finance best suits their needs or which funding providers are most relevant to their circumstances.
FUNDING. FAST. SIMPLE.
Through a structured digital journey, Access to Finance™ helps SMEs better understand their funding requirements and, where qualifying criteria are met, connects them with participating funders whose solutions are aligned to their business and funding needs. The goal is to create a simpler pathway to business finance, while supporting greater participation by qualified SMEs within the broader finance ecosystem.
Rather than simply providing businesses with a list of funders, Access to Finance™ is designed to improve alignment between SME funding needs and appropriate funding opportunities, helping entrepreneurs take a more informed and targeted approach to accessing finance.
TransUnion is the exclusive Credit Bureau Partner to Access to Finance™, working alongside NSBC Africa in support of the shared vision of strengthening SME participation within South Africa’s finance ecosystem.
CREATING GREATER VISIBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY
A central part of the Access to Finance™ vision is improving the connection between South African SMEs and the organisations that finance business growth. By helping businesses better understand their readiness for finance, before engaging participating funders, the initiative aims to create a more efficient journey for both SMEs and funding providers.
Speaking at the official opening of The Business Show: Africa and the launch of Access to Finance™, Lee Naik, CEO & Regional President of TransUnion Africa, addressed the importance of strengthening the environment in which South African SMEs can better understand their financial position, become more visible within the finance ecosystem and connect with appropriate opportunities for growth.
“Small businesses are one of South Africa’s most important engines of growth and job creation, yet too many still struggle to access the funding they need to start, sustain and scale their operations. At TransUnion Africa, we see data visibility and access to information as powerful enablers of financial inclusion and business growth. By helping businesses establish a stronger, more transparent financial profiles, we can support lenders in making more informed decisions and expand access to credit for viable enterprises,” says Naik.
A NEW ERA OF ACCESS TO FINANCE
According to Anderson, improving the connection between SMEs and appropriate finance has the potential to unlock significant business growth. “South Africa does not lack entrepreneurial ambition. What many businesses lack is a simpler, more effective way to navigate the funding landscape and connect with the right finance opportunities.
Access to Finance™ has been created to help change that. We want to make the journey smarter, simpler and more connected, helping funding-ready SMEs get closer to the finance they need to grow. When more viable businesses can access appropriate funding, they can invest, expand, create jobs and build stronger, more sustainable businesses. That is the bigger vision behind Access to Finance™.”
CREATED AND POWERED BY NSBC AFRICA
Access to Finance™ is created and powered by NSBC Africa, a non-profit organisation that has championed entrepreneurship and SME growth for more than 18 years. Through its national ecosystem of initiatives, platforms, partnerships and events, NSBC Africa works to connect entrepreneurs and small businesses with the opportunities, knowledge, solutions, funding and connections they need to build sustainable and successful businesses.
Adds Naik, “We are proud to partner with NSBC Africa on Access to Finance™ and see this as an important platform for connecting entrepreneurs with funding opportunities and help them realise their growth potential.”
The initiative represents an important next step in that mission, bringing together NSBC Africa’s SME ecosystem, technology, partnerships and funding relationships to create a smarter and more connected pathway between entrepreneurs seeking finance and participating funding providers.
The vision is clear: help more SMEs become finance-ready, connect with relevant funding opportunities and take the meaningful steps towards sustainable business growth.
Niger’s Failed Coup Is a Warning to the Sahel’s Military Rulers: Those With Power Must Keep Their Promises
Military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger came to power promising to defeat the insurgencies plaguing their countries. Instead, insecurity has worsened.
Iron Will Needed to Revive Municipal Courts in Ekurhuleni
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) will keep a close eye on the implementation of the Ekurhuleni Metro Council’s decision to approve the establishment of fully functional municipal courts in the Metro to ensure that it is not just an empty promise. This follows the Council’s adoption of a report by the Oversight Committee on […]
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Ekurhuleni Cannot Keep Writing off Millions Without Accountability
The Ekurhuleni Metro’s ongoing failure to ensure proper accountability and consequence management in respect of irregular expenditure is unacceptable. During a council meeting on 31 August, several recommendations were tabled to the Council to write off more than R140 million in historical irregular expenditure. This is but a drop in the ocean compared to the […]
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Mega Municipality Will Create Mega Service Delivery Problems
The ANC’s latest proposal to possibly merge Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni into one giant mega metropolis demonstrates that the party is still trying to solve the wrong problem. The people of Gauteng do not need bigger municipalities, but rather smaller, more efficient and more accountable local governments. If a resident already finds it difficult to […]
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Why Water Rights Aren’t Enough to Fix South Africa’s Deeply Unequal Farming Sector
Without finance, infrastructure and power, many Black South African farmers remain dependent on white commercial farmers.
Zambia’s Messy but Decisive Election: Government Shows Strength; Democracy Shows Weakness
How the re-elected government uses its new dominance will influence Zambian politics well beyond this election.
Brakpan Community Apprehend Cable Thief
Rapid response and cooperation between Brakpan residents, the Community Policing Forum (CPF), private security companies and the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) led to the arrest of a suspected cable thief in Prince George Avenue, Brakpan. Two Freedom Front Plus councillors responded to a tip-off from the public and confronted the suspect while he was […]
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No Support for Emfuleni Water SPV Without Complete Transparency
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) will not allow the ANC to pressure the party into supporting a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for water and sanitation in the Emfuleni Local Municipality without full disclosure to councillors. The SPV is a separate legal entity established to manage a specific service – in this case, water […]
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Orange Lips and Roaring Calls: Meet the DRC’s Shy New Rainforest Monkey
The scientist who discovered Likweli describes years of searching for the species, new to science.
Groenkloof and UNISA Areas Increasingly Affected by Cable Theft
The rise in cable theft in the Groenkloof and UNISA area of the Tshwane Metro can no longer be tolerated. Seeing as this is a common problem in Tshwane, the Metro needs to shoulder the responsibility of protecting critical infrastructure – which it is currently failing to do. Businesses and households frequently affected by power […]
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Governments Shouldn’t Rely on AI to Decide Who Gets a Social Grant: Inside a South African Court Case
Automated systems need to be watched carefully to ensure they are in fact operating in the public interest.
Poor Management of Emergency Vehicles Leaves Dipaleseng Residents Stranded During Fires
The Dipaleseng Local Municipality (Balfour, Grootvlei and Greylingstad) is failing its residents when it comes to emergency services. The disaster management unit, responsible for handling fires, accidents and other emergencies, was unable to provide any assistance during a fire in Balfour because its vehicles and equipment are poorly maintained. On Sunday 16 August, a short […]
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Third North West Speaker in Just Two Years Leads to Instability in Legislature
During today’s special session of the North West Provincial Legislature, the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) abstained from voting to elect a new Speaker. The election was necessitated by Dr Desbo Mohono’s resignation from the office and her subsequent appointment as the new MEC for Education last week. During the session, Ms Viola Motsumi of […]
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Returning Bones to Madagascar Doesn’t Just Right a Colonial Wrong: Why a Royal Skull Still Has Power
Royal relics in Madagascar confer legitimacy on rulers.
We Asked ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity for Financial Advice: What We Got Was Practical, but With Big Blind Spots
AI is a powerful tool for financial fact-finding and brainstorming. But for now it can’t replace the human element.
How Lagos Pioneers Built a Vibrant Yoruba Print Culture in the 1920s – At the Height of Colonialism
English was imposed as Nigeria’s official language, but the British had no way of controlling what people did with it.
NSFAS Crisis Casts Pandor’s Remarks in a Harsh Light
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The issues, which were raised this week in the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, include allegations of unauthorised remuneration of consultants, problems with the payment of accommodation allowances and general poor administration. It casts a harsh light on […]
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How Can Governments Tackle Poverty When Climate Change, Conflict and Economic Shocks Hit All at Once?
Crises that add up on top of each other have to be addressed in an integrated way.
Illicit Drug and Alcohol Trade Remains a Serious Threat in the Klein Karoo
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) welcomes the successful police operations conducted in the vicinity of Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn. The enormous quantities of illicit drugs and alcohol that were seized reveal the true extent of the problem. On 8 August 2026 on the Prince Albert Road, the Central Karoo rapid response unit seized nearly […]
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