John D Francis

John is a highly experienced facilitator, trainer and consultant who has decades of training and consulting experience. He previous headed the SEDA training academy in Pretoria, establishing many ground breaking programmes in conjunction with international sponsors and donors.

He has been involved in the following programmes:

• Independent Business Enrichment Centre (IBEC), Natal Regional Manager
• NTSIKA Enterprise Promotion Agency (NEPA), Divisional Manager: Management and Enterprise Development Division
• Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), Head: Seda Learning Academy
• Management of IBEC’s regional enterprise development operations
• Management of SMME mentorship, business counselling and training programs
• Design and Development of Enterprise training and capacity development programs
• Management of the GTZ CEFE SMME training programs
• Design, Development, and Management of National Enterprise Training and Capacity Building Programs
• Design, Development, and Management of National Enterprise Practitioner Training and Capacity Development Programs
• Management of Community, Private, Public Partnership programs
• Design, Development and Management of LED training program for Local and Provincial Government officials (SALGA)
• Management of the Local Business Service Centre (LBSC) program
• Design, Development and Management of International Best Practice Exposure Programs in Israel, India and Japan
• Conceptualized, set-up and managed the Seda Learning Academy

Design, Development and Management of the following Programmes:

• Enterprise and Practitioner Development programmes
• Incubator Capacity development programmes
• Co-operatives development programmes
• International Best Practice exposure programs in Malaysia, Taiwan and Brazil
• Conceptualized and hosted the first Round Table on Enterprise Development between Russia and South Africa
• Networking and Leveraging of funds from UNCTAD, JICA, Taiwan, Russia and Brazil
• ABSA Rural Enterprise Development Program (Eastern Cape). Training informal micro and small enterprises on basic business management skills
• Assessment, technical support, marketing strategies, skills development and mentoring of MSDF members
• Assessments of and Recommendations for 22 SMME’s in Dinokeng using diagnostic tools
• Training of SMME’s on Cooperatives in Soshanguve
• Facilitation of the Seda Women Enterprise Coaching Programme for 25 Women Entrepreneurs over 12 months
• Training of SMME’s on Basic Business Skills in Ekurhuleni
• Impact Assessment survey wrt the Seda /GIZ Basic Entrepreneurial Skills Development Programme in Soweto, Krugersdorp, Boksburg and Benoni
• Training of SMME’s on Business Start-up 1 in Johannesburg.