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In October 2011, Mthente was invited by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to do a Services Policy Review (SPR) for particular sub-sectors in Lesotho. Mthente will partner with Tsotang Tsietsi (TT), a Lesotho-based consultant, in completing the SPR.
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In August 2011, Mthente was commissioned by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) to carry out a situational analysis of the SMME Sector in South Africa. The analysis was inspired by the Diagnostic Overview of the country released by the National Planning Commission in June 2011, which identified a number of notable challenges facing South Africa. SEDA believes that SMMEs can play an important role in mitigating some of these challenges and thus required a scientific view of the state of the SMME sector.
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Mthente has been commissioned by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to collate and analyse all research studies pertaining to administered prices in South Africa. Through a comprehensive desktop research process, Mthente is currently evaluating the regulatory frameworks, guiding principles and drivers of administered prices in the energy, telecommunications, transport and water sectors in South Africa.
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Mthente has been commissioned by the Cape Chamber of Commerce, together with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town, to carry out a study on the business environment in the Cape Town city-region and the extent to which regulatory ‘red tape’ affects the ease of doing business in the city.
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Mthente has been commissioned by Productivity South Africa to undertake an in-depth research study with the aim of developing a set of competitiveness indicators that are appropriate for the South African context. In turn, these indicators will provide a basis from which to identify the key drivers of competitiveness that should form the focus of future efforts to improve South Africa’s competitive standing in the global economy.
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In March 2011, Mthente was invited by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to assist the Gauteng Department of Economic Development to develop the Gauteng Trade and Investment Policy Framework, the Gauteng Trade and Investment Strategy and the Gauteng Trade and Investment Implementation Plan.
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In February 2011, Mthente was commissioned by Productivity South Africa (Productivity SA) to identify and analyse international best practice in Public Employment Policy, and draw out key lessons relevant to the development and refinement of similar policies in the South African context.
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Mthente is currently developing a Sector Brief on the Agribusiness Sector in the Western Cape for Wesgro, the Official Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for the Western Cape.
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Mthente was commissioned by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) to conduct research into the economic environment of the Eastern Cape and to facilitate the ECDC Board Strategy Workshop in May 2010. The ECDC is an Eastern Cape based developmental entity that offers services that include Development Investments, Investment Promotion, Trade Promotion, Organisational Function (Corporate Finance & Services) to mention but a few.
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Mthente was commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to examine the effectiveness of the current funding instruments to support Science Engineering and Technology (SET) human capital development.
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Mthente was commissioned by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape to undertake a baseline study exploring and analysing the scope of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) in the formal business sector in the Western Cape.
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Mthente was commissioned by the Western Cape Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (WESGRO) to compile trade fact sheets for Angola and Brazil. WESGRO is the official agency that handles relations between local exporters, foreign importers and investors who have chosen the Western Cape and Cape Town for business. WESGRO also works hand in hand with the South African government, the City of Cape Town, Business, Labour, District Municipalities as well as with rural authorities.
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Mthente received a grant from the Southern Africa Trust (SAT) to undertake a detailed assessment of how the integration of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region into their national and regional economies can be encouraged via the identification and removal of internal constraints to SME development.
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Mthente was commissioned by Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) to undertake a study of the impact of the Global Economic Crisis on selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries on behalf of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the SADC Employers Group (SEG).
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Mthente was commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) to reconceptualise and update the “South Africa in Africa: Trade Investment and Infrastructure” Handbook, which was last published in 2007.
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Mthente was commissioned to assess, using the Western Cape Province as a case study, the potential of positioning South Africa as a knowledge and innovation hub in a globalising world economy.
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The ComMark Trust - ComMark Textile and Apparel Sector Programme Impact Assessment
Using several focus groups, interviews with key stakeholders and in depth analysis of policies, Mthente tested and evaluated the impact of ComMark’s five-year Programme and interventions in Lesotho’s Textile and Apparel Sector.
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Smaller enterprises have largely been unable to access the real benefits from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which offers Sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for clothing and textile products. BEDCO, therefore, commissioned Mthente to explore the possibility of developing supply chain linkages between SMME’s and larger manufacturers - both Multinational Corporations and South African based manufacturers -- in Lesotho’s clothing and textile sector.
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Mthente undertook research in four key areas related to CITI'S Growth Strategy May 2008 - May 2009.
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Mthente undertook research for the DTI that assessed the developments in trade theory and policy since the mid-1990s to the current period.
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Mthente presented research on developing a regional development strategy for Cape Town city region to the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government, on behalf of the Strategies for Change Consultancy.
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Mthente undertook a feasibility study on the role of South African businesses in Zimbabwe to find out if connections between South Africa’s foreign policy and economic/political realities and interests drive South Africa’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe.
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Mthente conducted trade policy research in a number of fields. The central research undertaking has been the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Trade and Investment Cooperation Project, carried out under the auspices of the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA).
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Mthente was commissioned by SAT to conduct key research on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between the Africa, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) group of countries and the European Union (EU).
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Mthente's aims for this study were to establish the parameters of EPA and trade negotiations in Angola, identify key role players and ascertain how best Oxfam Novib can support them.
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In October 2008, Mthente was commissioned to develop two fact sheets for WESGRO:
• Market intelligence and export strategy.
• Clustering for competitive advantage.
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