As part of the Sustainability & ESG Africa Conference & Expo (SEACon), a high-impact SMME Workshop will guide businesses through what it really takes to become compliant and ready to do business with corporates. Running from 08:30 to 11:00 on 16 October 2025 at the Sandton Convention Centre, the session cuts through jargon and offers practical tools to help SMMEs become compliant, qualify for supplier opportunities and implement a sustainability plan.

The workshop leaders are all experts in the sustainability and ESG field and will cover the following in the workshop. Douglas Kativu from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Africa, a seasoned leader in sustainability disclosure across the continent; Karen Daniels, CEO of Eco-IQ, bringing the corporate buyer’s perspective on what procurement teams actually check and how SMMEs can position themselves; and Colette Crichton, Co-Founder & Managing Director of  Creative simplicity, a transformation, compliance and ESG advisory that equips SMMEs with the understanding of documents and processes, in order to build the confidence they need to become “corporate-ready.” Across their contributions, attendees will gain a clear understanding of disclosure and reporting, a practical view into corporate requirements (B-BBEE, tax, governance, safety and ESG), and a step-by-step compliance roadmap with must-have checklists and quick wins.

Participants will leave with the knowledge on tools tailored for SMMEs and where to access more information, a concise checklist of documents corporates expect, and practical guidance for packaging their businesses for onboarding, plus clarity on immediate next steps to convert readiness into opportunity.

“We’ve designed this session to be hands-on and confidence-building as well as creating a platform to ask questions to large corporates to understand their needs,” said Karen Daniels, CEO of EcoIQ. “By demystifying compliance, SMMEs can move from ‘not sure where to start’ to ‘ready to supply’—and that’s where real opportunity begins.”

“Our goal is to empower entrepreneurs with the exact steps buyers expect,” added Wendy Poulton, Director, SEACon. “If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re ‘corporate-ready,’ this workshop is your blueprint.”