Building Creative Businesses

This session brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners exploring how creative enterprises across Africa are navigating the challenges of growth and sustainability in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). Moving between theory and practice, the presentations examine what it means to build viable creative businesses — from fashion and digital innovation to cultural trade, organisational resilience, and decent work. Speakers draw on diverse experiences from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and beyond to unpack critical issues, including access to business support systems, fair working conditions, market integration, and the role of regional collaboration in strengthening the creative economy. Discussions also invite reflections on how structural and policy interventions can foster a more supportive environment for creative workers, striking a balance between artistic practice, economic viability, and social protection.

Presentations (15 min each) 

Convenor:  Raymond Ndhlovu - PhD Candidate in Cultural Economics, Rhodes University, South Africa

1. Dr Boitumelo Pooe —  PhD in Management Sciences, Specialising in Fashion Retail, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
   
   Fashion Focus: Designers’ Needs from Business Support Organisations (BSOs)
   
   
2. Raymond Ndhlovu — PhD Candidate, Cultural Economics, Rhodes University, South Africa
   
   Comparative Economic Analysis of the Organisational Resilience of Microenterprises in the Cultural & Creative Industries
   
   
3. Tshepo Motsaapheko — Founder, Culture Code Gig Guide, South Africa (V)
   
   Culture Code Hub: A Digital, Creative & Sustainable Ecosystem  For Africa’s Next Creative Economy
   
   
4. Mawuko Gyan — PhD Student & Research Assistant, Economics Department, Rhodes University, South Africa
   
   Trade & Value Chain Dynamics in the CCI & the Role of Regional Integration
   
   
5. Prof Willie Chinyamurindi — Professor,  Department of Business Management, University of Fort Hare, South Africa (V)
   
   Between a Rock & a Hard Place: Narratives of Decent Work Within the Creative Sector. 

 Q&A