Increased Private Sector Funding for Enablis in Africa

Enablis Entrepreneurial Network (Enablis), a global Non-Profit Organization, has confirmed that a further
CDN$ 5 million donation of contributed services over the next five years would be provided by Accenture Ltd. and Telesystem Ltd. The new funding will help Enablis expand from its current operating base in South Africa to new countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"This year marks a key turning point for Enablis as we move from our prototype in South Africa to the establishment of new regional hubs and then country operations throughout Africa. We are now looking for the critical backing and funding of government donors, which will give us the platform to raise matching funds from the private sector and host countries Enablis will operate in. The commitment from Accenture and Telesystem will make a dramatic impact on the development of grassroots enterprise in the communities in Africa that need it most", said Charles Sirois, Chairman and CEO of Enablis, who is attending the Business Action for Africa Summit in the United Kingdom, organized by the Commonwealth Business Council and Commission for Africa, just prior to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles.
Conceived at the 2002 G8 Summit, Enablis was founded by Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Telesystem and the Canada Fund for Africa to support entrepreneurs in developing countries who adopt ICTs as a significant part of their growth strategy. This new donation of contributed services by Accenture
and Telesystem will provide Enablis with the depth of technology, venture capital, innovation and strategic development skills required for a successful roll-out (based upon a country selection matrix developed by Accenture). Total funding and commitments for Enablis now stand at over CDN$ 30 million.
Enablis' expansion is part of its Global Development Trust I strategy, which aims to raise CDN$ 100 million from government donors to progressively expand its network of entrepreneurs in Africa. These funds are to be matched with an additional CDN$ 100 million from the private sector, host country
governments and social investors (as Enablis did successfully in South Africa) bringing the total to CDN$ 200 million.
Enablis focuses on entrepreneurs as the main drivers of economic and social development. The organization identifies potential entrepreneurs from an early stage, and provides them with a blend of tailored coaching, mentoring and networking as well as an innovative form of SME financing. Enablis fills
the "financing gap" for entrepreneurs unable to find risk capital between the micro-credit and venture capital thresholds. The first 50 member entrepreneurs in South Africa have already reaped a number of benefits and their businesses are expanding.
Issued by Enablis Entrepreneurial Network BACKGROUND BRIEFING BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES SIROIS
Chairman and CEO, Enablis Entrepreneurial Network and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telesystem Ltd.
A leading figure in the Canadian communications industry, Charles Sirois is the founder and controlling shareholder of Telesystem Ltd., and he is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of this private equity company.
Telesystem Ltd. is active mainly in wireless communications networks, mobile Internet services and web-enabled business solutions. The Company invests directly and through focused venture funds, Telsoft and Argo, building a portfolio of companies worldwide.
Born in Chicoutimi, Québec, in 1954, Mr. Sirois launched his business career in 1978 when he took over the family-owned paging company. Within a few years, he had established himself as the leader of the Canadian paging industry through National Pagette and National Mobile Radio Communications
Inc. In 1987, these two companies merged with Bell Cellular to form BCE Mobile Communications Inc., which Mr. Sirois led from 1988 to 1990 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
From 1992 to 2000, Charles Sirois was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Teleglobe Inc., a leading provider of long distance and broadband services operating the most extensive global Internet network.
Mr. Sirois was a founding member of Telesystem International Wireless Corporation N.V., created in September 1994, and served as its chairman until March 1997, when the company was reorganized as Telesystem International Wireless Inc. in the context of an initial public offering. Mr. Sirois served as Chairman of Telesystem International Wireless Inc. from March 1997 until July 2004.
He is currently a director of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enablis Entrepreneurial Network, a non-profit organization sponsored by the G8 Dot Force. Mr. Sirois was also a member of the G8 Dot Force, of the National Broadband Task Force and was a founding member of the Washington-based Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC).
Mr. Sirois holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the Université de Sherbrooke (Québec), a master's degree in finance from Université Laval (Québec City), as well as honorary doctorates from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), University of Ottawa, Concordia University and Laval University. Mr. Sirois received the Order of Canada in 1994 and was made a knight of the Ordre national du Québec in April 1998.
In 1995, Mr. Sirois published a book on the information highway entitled The Medium and the Muse. In his second book, published in June 2000, Organic Management: Creating a Culture of Innovation, Mr. Sirois shares his management philosophy, along with his vision of the new economy.
March 2005 BACKGROUND BRIEFING ENABLIS FACT SHEET
- The Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT Force), created at the G8 Summit in 2000, concluded in its 2001 report that information and communications technologies (ICTs) offered enormous opportunities to
narrow social and economic inequities and support sustainable wealth creation.
- Recent multi-donor reports such as the one Canadian Prime Minister Martin and former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, co-authored on the Private Sector and Development, under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme, underlined the importance of supporting developing country entrepreneurs, including building linkages with local and international private sector expertise.
- Canada announced at the G8 Summit in 2002 the creation of the Canada Fund for Africa to support new initiatives that have a major impact on sustainable development. The Canada Fund for Africa would provide the critical $10 million in seed funding for the creation of a ground breaking private sector-led Non-Profit Organization that aimed to help entrepreneurs in developing countries by leveraging the transformation power of ICTs.
- Enablis Entrepreneurial Network (Enablis) was founded in 2003 as a Montreal-based non-profit organization which focuses on driving measurable social and economic development by supporting entrepreneurs (men & women) in the developing world who adopt ICTs as a significant enabler of growth. Essentially, Enablis is all about empowering people!
- Enablis' private sector founding partners Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Telesystem, who are providing substantial pro-bono services and equipment, have already secured funding of over $25 million, primarily
for the first regional operation in Southern Africa. Enablis was able to successfully leverage its first $10 million donation from the Canada Fund for Africa into an additional $15 million from partners, sponsors,
donors and social investors, which include in South Africa: Khula Enterprise Finance, First National Bank and KPMG.
ENABLIS TODAY
- Enablis is led by philanthropist Charles Sirois, Enablis' Global Chairman and CEO, one of Canada's best known telecommunications entrepreneurs. He was a private sector member of the DOT Force. Martin
Feinstein, Enablis South Africa's CEO in Cape Town, most recently headed the internationally recognized Proudly South African campaign.
- Enablis is a membership-based organization along cooperative lines focused on helping creative individuals like Nathaniel Sebolai of Johannesburg, whose start-up is recognized as the first black
empowerment enterprise in the mobile telecom space, Nadia Solomon of Cape Town, who started an innovative company offering payroll services to SMEs, and Nthato Maqanda of Soweto, whose informal IT business has given him insight into opportunities in the townships.
- Operating at the grassroots level, Enablis is dedicated to delivering to its member entrepreneurs all the networking, learning, mentoring and coaching that are of relevance to them and will contribute to their
success. Enablis members have access to a suite of services including the e-COACHING program, the e-ADVANTAGE seminar program, the e-CIRCLE peer-to-peer support program and the e-FINANCE risk capital program. In the coming month, members and stakeholders will have exclusive access
to Enablis' GENIE Portal, which will include business linkages, peer-to-peer forums, virtual mentoring and strategic information.
Already, these vital services have profoundly impacted the membership.
- Through its financing arm, Enablis Financial Corporation, Enablis has designed a unique funding vehicle for its members. Specifically, Enablis focuses on filling the "financing gap" for entrepreneurs who
are unable to find risk capital between the micro-credit and venture capital thresholds. In South Africa, Enablis recently created the R 50 Million Enablis Khula Loan Fund, which offers a 90% bank guarantee
above $20,000 that provides entrepreneurs with start-up and early-stage financing at favorable commercial rates. Successful community based micro-finance institutions have shown that where investment certainty is low, closeness to the borrower ensures loan repayment. The membership relationship that Enablis fosters together with the capacity building services it offers means that risks are better mitigated.
- In 2004, Enablis SA became the first Enablis regional hub with offices located in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Enablis SA also operates as a non-profit organization. Today, Enablis SA has 53 members, of which close to 30% are women entrepreneurs, 10 full-time employees supporting a fast growing membership expected to reach 200 by year-end, and 26 business coaches and four area specialists that provide support services on an outsourced basis. Through a rigorous
application process, Enablis accredits both members and coaches who demonstrate the passion, drive and commitment for success, in addition to being aligned with Enablis' culture and ethos of respect, integrity, professionalism and sustainability.
- Enablis has built a prototype that is replicable in other developing countries around the world. It is in the process of designing the business and operating systems & standards that will be used by its
global implementation and audit teams. This will ensure that each chapter shares the same cooperative vision, governance approach and operating architecture. This serves to protect the integrity of the concept and at the same time provide the necessary adaptability to adjust to local market conditions. Enablis chapters will all be networked through GENIE.
- What was a bold idea at the G8 Summit in 2002 is now a reality. With its experience at building and managing a broad local and international public-private partnership, Enablis is ready to bring the same impact to new developing countries in Africa.
Enablis' 2005 Activities Report is now available from info@enablis.org
The Canada Fund for Africa, a Government of Canada initiative, has
provided the initial seed funding for the Enablis initiative.
Contact person: Sophie Goulet, e-mail: goulet.sophie@ic.gc.ca
Accenture
Accenture has seconded key personnel to Enablis and plays a critical role in the strategic planning, governance and business linkages of the organization.
Contact person: Luke Williams, e-mail luke.williams@accenture.com
Hewlett Packard
HP has supported Enablis through the provisioning of hardware for operations, as well as business linkages and operational support. Contact person: Lynette Chen, e-mail lynette.chen@hp.com
Telesystem Telesystem has provided key global management staff and resources to enable the project to accelerate its establishment globally and in SA. Contact person: Francine Lefebvre, e-mail flefebvre@telesystem.ca For further information: Francine Lefebvre, (514) 397-8498, E-mail: lefebvre@telesystem.ca

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