South African SMEs don’t lack ambition, they lack access. As global markets open opportunities for growth, diversification, and job creation, many local businesses have products and services capable of competing internationally.
Exporting represents a powerful lever for scaling South African enterprise and strengthening economic resilience. However, global trade is far from intuitive, it is complex and highly specialised. It requires expertise across compliance, logistics, standards, and market entry – capabilities that most SMEs do not have in-house. Without access to this knowledge, even high-potential businesses struggle to translate ambition into export readiness.
Recognising this challenge, FNB SME Development, together with the bank’s structured finance solutions and trade team in partnership with Edge Growth, launched the SME Growth Exporter Programme in 2024. The 18-month programme was structured to build export readiness through comprehensive support across three critical drivers of sustainable growth: access to skills, access to funding, and access to markets. By strengthening core capabilities and connecting SMEs to appropriate funding pathways and market opportunities, the programme supported responsible growth and enabled businesses to participate in global trade with greater confidence and resilience.
“Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of South Africa’s economy, and their ability to scale locally and globally is critical to job creation, skills development, and long-term economic competitiveness,” says Palesa Moeletsi, SME Business Development Support Manager at FNB.
“At FNB, our approach to SME development is deliberately holistic. We support businesses across different sectors, regions, and stages of growth by combining financial and non-financial support through our Enterprise and Supplier Development ecosystem. Programmes such as the SME Growth Exporter Programme demonstrate how we move beyond funding alone providing tailored capability building, access to markets, and appropriate funding pathways that enable SMEs to grow responsibly, sustainably, and with confidence.”
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The first cohort of the SME Growth Exporter Programme supported 10 SMEs across the food, beverage, apparel, jewellery, and beauty sectors, reflecting industries with strong export potential and growth ambition. The programme followed a highly structured yet tailored approach, starting with a comprehensive diagnostic to assess each business and inform the development of a bespoke Export Growth Strategy aligned to its specific market, product, and readiness level.
Support was delivered through a combination of export-focused and business bootcamps, complemented by customised one-on-one mentorship with business, category, and export specialists. This personalised model ensured that insights, guidance, and interventions were directly linked to each SME’s growth strategy. In addition, participants received hands-on support to access markets through targeted projects, including trade shows, sales opportunities, and strategic third-party partnerships. Where appropriate, SMEs were also enabled through access to FNB’s Vumela Enterprise Development Fund and catalytic grant funding, aligned to clearly defined Export Growth Strategy milestones.
The first cohort demonstrated the programme’s ability to deliver meaningful results across diverse sectors.
The achievements of individual participants reflect the broader outcomes delivered by the first cohort of the SME Growth Exporter Programme. Across the cohort, the programme generated measurable economic impact, including a 7% increase in net jobs, a 7.5% weighted average growth rate, and 143% straight-line profit growth, demonstrating the effectiveness of a long-term, integrated export readiness model.
Within this context, several SMEs recorded notable progress toward scalable international growth.
- Global Cuisine strengthened its export readiness by improving compliance and production efficiency, unlocking external funding to expand capacity, and securing new long-term commercial relationships.
- Moedi Wines successfully accelerated its international expansion, entering the US and European markets while strengthening operational maturity and global brand presence.
- NB Skin Science achieved export readiness and global market traction, using international exposure to refine its growth strategy, unlock product innovation, and establish scalable routes to market across priority regions.
Together, these outcomes illustrate how targeted support across skills, funding, and market access can enable high-potential SMEs to transition from export ambition to sustained participation in global trade.
The programme’s success highlights the power of deep, intentional collaboration across the SME development ecosystem. Specialist partners brought distinct capabilities that, when combined, delivered far greater value for participating businesses than any single intervention could achieve. The International Trade Institute of Southern Africa contributed critical export expertise, strengthening technical capability in a highly specialised field, while Edge Growth provided tailored business development insight to support each SME’s growth journey. Internally, FNB Trade and Finance Team added strategic market and trade advisory, with FNB SME Development anchoring the programme to ensure alignment, governance, and delivery against clear outcomes.
Together, this collaborative model demonstrates how open, purpose-led partnerships can accelerate SME growth and drive broader economic impact and serves as a call for ecosystem players to work together in advancing sustainable development.
“We’re proud of what has been achieved in the first cohort and excited about the potential of the second,” says Victoria Harris, Client Lead at Edge growth. “This programme represents our ongoing commitment to supporting South African entrepreneurs who have the vision and determination to take their businesses global. By providing the right combination of skills, funding, and market access, we’re helping to build a new generation of successful exporters who will contribute to economic growth, job creation and the transformation of our economy. We look forward to watching these businesses flourish in international markets.”
Building on the success of the first cohort, the second round of the SME Growth Exporter Programme was launched in July 2025 and will run until the end of 2026, supporting 15 high-potential SMEs. In parallel, FNB SME Development has launched the Importer Navigator Programme, designed to help SMEs navigate import and supply-chain complexities to strengthen manufacturing capability and unlock value for the South African economy. Applications for the Importer Navigator Programme are open until 8 March and can be submitted via the Edge Growth website.