Tolerance and inclusion will drag multi-cultural region out of dark ages
The West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum that provides strategic advice to Advantage West Midlands launches its Annual report this morning. Mohammad Nazir, chairman, explains why he will tell 200 business and political leaders that the future of the region depends upon bringing communities that for the most part remain excluded into the mainstream.

If the West Midland economy is to prosper in the coming decades then it will have to turn to the Black economy or more accurately engage and encourage the huge reservoir of latent talent within the minority ethnic communities that must be exploited. The facts are simple - more than 13 per cent of the population of the West Midlands is made up of people from minority ethnic communities and by 2010 the indigenous white population will be a minority in Birmingham and Solihull.

A demographic time bomb is ticking as the indigenous population ages. In three years time only 20 per cent of the UK workforce will be male, white and under the age of 45.

The minority ethnic communities with a much younger age profile is going to have to step up to create the wealth and prosperity to support the region in the years ahead.

We have more than 47,000 minority ethnic owned businesses in the West Midlands already making a significant contribution to the economy but the potential is much greater but this can only be exploited if work is done to bring people who are too often marginalised and excluded into the mainstream.

There are, of course, wealthy and successful business people from minority ethnic backgrounds with the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and the Hinduja brothers probably the best-known examples. Within our own region we have success stories but the fact remains that overall our minority ethnic communities live in the most deprived parts of our towns and cities.

Good work is being done but there remain deeply engrained pockets of deprivation where people feel excluded and without hope. People from minority ethnic backgrounds continue to be under represented in key sectors like construction and engineering and at managerial and director level in the corporate world.

A young person with a black or dark skin is less likely to get a job than their white friends with the same qualifications. Racial stereotyping remains a problem for young people. A businesswoman I know who is a qualified accountant tells me of the problems her son had at a school that should know better. Because he was African Caribbean there was an assumption that he was not academic but likely to be good at sport.

The number of minority ethnic owned businesses is impressive and the proportion of people going into self-employment from some of these communities is high. But whilst this is encouraging in one way the truth is that too many of them do this out of necessity because a full spectrum of opportunities is not available.

Our annual report highlights striking examples of successful minority ethnic businesses that break free from the stereotype – like the African Caribbean architect, the Birmingham based Indian fashion designer who is turning heads in both the UK and the sub continent and the Pakistani pottery maker who is selling iconic teapots all over the world. These people provide excellent role models but the fact remains that a high proportion of minority ethnic businesses are found in retail, catering and transport.

We also have to address the disparity between different minority ethnic communities when it comes to business. I am sure that it is perceptions and attitude rather than aptitude that mean entrepreneurs from an India tradition do best.

The challenges are daunting but we are taking practical steps to being about change. Mentors and role models who show people what can be achieved have a huge role to play and that is why we have devoted a large part of our report to highlighting the success of businesses that shine a light and set an example.

It is a major concern that the take up of business support services by the minority ethnic community is low and so our Forum has worked hard to influence the transformation model and shape the new way in which Business Link support will be delivered from next April. We want it to be more easily accessible, relevant and user friendly.

Many minority ethnic businesses have particular problems getting financial support and our work with the R2i Investment Readiness programme will hopefully help improve access to funding.

In a global market all business has to recognise that their customer will not just be in the next street or neighbourhood but can be on the other side of the world. To this end we have been in partnership with UK Trade and Investment and have taken a lead role in trade missions during the past year to India, Pakistan, China, the Caribbean and Ghana.

One of my roles is as a Board member with the Walsall Regeneration Company and I want to see some of the initiatives we are taking to attract inward investment and encourage high technology businesses to be replicated in other parts of our region.

We need innovative and creative thinking and our conference will report on progress with the Quarbani Pilot Project. This is an exciting initiative looking at the possibility of the West Midlands becoming a European hub for the supply of halal meat.

It is only possible to exert an influence from the top table and that is why it is so important that the Forum has a place on the West Midlands Economic Review Board and the Regional International Trade and Investment Board.

The West Midlands can only have a prosperous future as a tolerant and inclusive region that celebrates its diversity and in which all communities can make a contribution, fulfil their potential and share the fruits of their success.