How do we ensure that we achieve greater inclusivity, particularly in those underserved areas where the small businesses need the support? How do we ensure that partnerships like this benefit those small businesses where the business is needed the most?

If you think about the purpose of an ecosystem, the purpose of an ecosystem is really to deliver an A-to-Z kind of a solution, and that's where the partnership with Absa is so incredibly exciting.

Absa has got its own SME program, and of course, as you would imagine, so does DHL.

Now think about the ability to scale and amplify if you combine those two.

Now, now here's the key.

We've divided the life cycle of SMEs into four buckets roughly, and if you then take those separate curriculums and you put them together and you split it into those four buckets, suddenly not only do you amplify the knowledge, but you also amplify the impact of sharing that knowledge.

Now, Absa being a financial institution, as you would have guessed, they then bring those particular financial solutions to the table.

In terms of the mechanics of the memorandum of understanding, can you give us a bit more color around perhaps what DHL and Absa have committed to here where it relates to small businesses?

How do we ensure that we achieve greater inclusivity, particularly in those underserved areas where the small businesses need the support? How do we ensure that partnerships like this benefit those small businesses where the business is needed the most?

If you think about the purpose of an ecosystem, the purpose of an ecosystem is really to deliver an A to Z kind of a solution, and that's where the partnership with Absa is so incredibly exciting.

Absa has got its own SME program, and of course, as you would imagine, so does DHL.

Now think about the ability to scale and amplify if you combine those two.

Now, now here's the key.

We've divided the life cycle of SMEs into four buckets roughly, and if you then take those separate curriculums and you put them together and you split it into those four buckets, suddenly not only do you amplify the knowledge, but you also amplify the impact of sharing that knowledge.

Now Absa being a financial institution, as you would have guessed, they then bring those particular financial solutions to the table.

In terms of the mechanics of the memorandum of understanding, can you give us a bit more color around perhaps what DHL and Absa have committed to here where it relates to small businesses?

How has that supported regional integration and connectivity across the continent?

It's a twofold answer to the question.

I think the African Free Trade Agreement links one point three billion consumers or provides a mechanism to link that.

And it's, you know, across the territory, it's, it's about a three point four trillion U.S. dollar GDP or economy that, that you're talking about.

So what's the significance of that? I mean, there's, there's a couple of points to it.

The, the first one is it creates a shared framework.

Y-you know, so, so people can kind of prepare and plan across a single set of rules, whereas at the moment it's very fragmented.

How have the trends which we've just been discussing impacted SMEs? What are the main barriers they face when they're looking to enter global markets?