"The Next Gen Awards are the most reputable industry awards in South Africa," says Velly Bosega, CEO of Oak Ventures (SME South Africa) at the news that the publisher has been named the finalist in four categories.

"There are only a few awards in South Africa that recognise publisher's and journalist's work. In times like these where our publishing peers are struggling, it is important to generate new ideas to move forward," adds Bosega. "We believe that the future of publishing can be preserved through innovation."

Awards such as the Next Gen Awards are a celebration of agencies and client teams who build extraordinary campaigns and products, such as the MTN SME Hub, which is a finalist in the Blogging Excellence By An Agency category, says SME South Africa.

SME South Africa is also a finalist for the Most innovative App Developed By An Agency for the SME Advice App. This will not be the first accolade that the platform has received. In 2022, the platform, formerly known as Startwise, received the National Startup Champion Award from the NSBC's Small Biz Awards.

SME Advice says that it was the first in the market to connect entrepreneurs and experts with each other, with one goal in mind: to grow businesses. 

"Entrepreneurs are the backbone of the economy and are always busy. That's why we want to give them solutions that are affordable in the palm of their hands. SME South Africa is the only platform that brings all kinds of entrepreneurs to one platform, be it solopreneurs, micro-businesses, small businesses, township-based entrepreneurs, or medium-sized enterprises," says Bosega. 

"Through the numerous free resources, product reviews and insightful articles, the publisher aims to empower their audience with everything they need to start, manage and grow their business," Bosega says. 

SME South Africa concludes that the SME Brief platform, the newsletter-first publication from SME South Africa, brings thematic information and resources to entrepreneurs to start, manage and grow their businesses. The two categories are Best Online Newsletter and Best Online Magazine Newspaper. 

For more information, visit www.smesouthafrica.co.za. 

*Image courtesy of contributor