The future of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) lies in the ability of government and the private sector to work together. According to Sidwell Medupe, director of communications at the Department of Trade and Industry, the B-BBEE strategy will not be effective if government acts alone without the support of the private sector. Black economic empowerment (BEE), born out of the need to bring about economic transformation in the country, needs complete buy-in from the private sector to ensure its success. Experts agree that the standardisation and harmonisation of the verification industry and the standards on B-BBEE verification will go a long way to bringing about much-needed change. Already in the final stages of developing a Standardised National Training Programme for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Verification, the government has joined forces with the University of the Free State, the University of South Africa and Wits University, and is embarking on an awareness process to familiarise verification agencies with the document.
