Supplier Diversity: a New Phenomenon in Private Sector Procurement in South Africa

Abstract

This article represents a South African contribution to the policy-oriented focus of much international small business scholarship. It examines an emerging new dimension in South African small enterprise development policy debates—the question of supplier diversity in private sector procurement. Against the backdrop of a review and analysis of the international origins and trends in supplier diversity in particular from the established US and UK experiences, it unpacks the developing South African record on supplier diversity and local challenges. Attention is drawn to the important position of the South African Supplier Diversity Council. National government support should be given to emerging private sector-led initiatives for developing supplier diversity in order to forge a partnership to achieve the goal of a more economically robust as well as inclusive small enterprise economy in South Africa.