Women in Research Support Program [R 450 000.00]

Research

Primary Investigator

Prof SY Ho

About the project

This project aims to understand the development and impact of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in selected African countries. In particular, we intend to explore the development of SMEs in those countries through in-depth review of existing academic literature, historical data, and policy documents. In addition, we intend to understand how SMEs shape critical issues, such as financial stability, inclusive development, and energy security. We predict that our findings will further equip policymakers with the optimal choice of tailored policies to harness the potential of SMEs to promote financial inclusion, financial stability, energy security, and social welfare.

During the past two years the project has boosted skill transfer, international collaboration, and research productivity. On skill transfer and capacity building, we have tapped into the resources of international scholars in mentoring the master and doctoral students in this project. One of the mentees, Dr. Damane, who is currently working in a leading international organization, Women in Research Support Program [R 450 000.00] International Monetary Fund (IMF), registered his doctoral studies in 2022. With the provision of various workshops organised by the project fund on data analysis and research methodology, he was able to progress effectively by submitting his thesis for examination in record time and graduated in June 2024. He has extracted three articles from his thesis and submitted them to DHET accredited journals. Another mentee under the project, Ms. Mdingi, who is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics, also completed her master’s degree under my supervision and has swiftly commenced her doctoral studies focusing on how SMEs impacts income equality in Africa. Similarly, Mr. Mendaya, who also completed his master’s degree under my supervision has commenced his doctoral studies (under the project) focusing on SMEs employment on economic growth and business cycles in South Africa. Both mentees have passed their research proposal and are working towards completing their doctoral thesis.

Project Publications

Vacu-Ngqila, N. P., & Ho, S. Y. (2023). A Comprehensive Overview of Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise Development in South Africa. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 19(5),
215-240.
Damane, M., & Ho, S. Y. (2024). The Impact of Financial Inclusion on Financial Stability: Review of Theories and international Evidence. Development Studies Research, 11(1), 2373459.

Contact: hosy@unisa.ac.za

Last modified: 2024/11/26