Township & Rural Policy Push: South Africa’s draft Township and Rural Economy Development and Revitalisation Policy is out for comment, aiming to formalise and support township and rural businesses with funding, skills, land access and market access—while experts warn implementation, corruption and climate resilience must be tightened. Spaza Shop Crackdown: In Gauteng, the Public Protector says weak food-safety enforcement and hygiene failures left children vulnerable, with findings pointing to poor compliance and even business fronting in spaza licensing. Cape Flats Extortion Fears: A spaza shop owner’s killing in Bonteheuwel has reignited fears of extortion rackets targeting small cash-based businesses, as communities report opportunistic gang tactics. BEE Funding Idea: A Ramaphosa adviser proposes a voluntary 5% corporate tax surcharge for a “BEE compliance certificate,” trying to turn a polarising policy debate into a simpler, opt-in mechanism. SME Skills Bottleneck: South Africa’s businesses say skills shortages are holding them back, with training spending often too low to close gaps. Digital Standards for Procurement: Nigeria launches a Digital Standards Platform to make quality certification and compliance easier to access for MSMEs in public procurement. Telecom Investment Boosts SMBs: Nigeria’s telecom sector is credited with a 9.19% GDP contribution, with operators’ broadband investment supporting payments, logistics and small business activity. Formalise to Grow: Zimbabwe’s president urges entrepreneurs to embrace formalisation and graduate from micro to larger enterprises as regulation is eased. Micro-agribusiness Reality Check: Ghana’s poultry programme shows the hard part isn’t distributing birds—it’s creating buyers and profitable markets for households. Bank Awards for SME Banking: Access Bank wins 16 Euromoney Awards, including SME banking leadership and digital banking recognition across multiple countries.