As part of a Parliament of the people, the committee decided towards the end of 2010, to conduct hearings on SMMEs and the microfinance sector. A key objective of conducting the hearings was to highlight the challenges faced by role players and to formulate a way forward that is intended to begin a process of addressing the structural constraints faced by the sector within a context of economic development, job creation and poverty alleviation, particularly after the industry was hit hard by the 2008/09 global financial crisis.