Amazon Web Services defends black-owned business requirement in South Africa

This comes after the labour union Solidarity announced it would investigate the requirement, arguing it was divisive and created race-based limitations on economic opportunity. AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, explained that the EEIP is a legal obligation for multinational companies that cannot sell equity to local interests, aligning with South Africa’s B-BBEE Act. The company emphasized that while the EEIP supports black-owned small and medium-sized enterprises, other programs like AWS Activate and AI for Good are open to all.

Solidarity, however, believes that if the program leads to absolute racial exclusion, it will take decisive action, advocating for consistent ethical standards from global entities regarding equality and non-discrimination.