AUDA-NEPAD, the African Union Development Agency, and Ecobank Group are committing to pool African resources, capabilities, financing, market access and technology, to help achieve a continental response to resources to Africa’s Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
The second virtual workshop facilitated by McKinsey on June 11 2020 provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of sustaining market access and strengthening capabilities for MSMEs. During this session, high level representatives from the African Union Commission, regional development banks, development financial institutions, international organisations and commercial banks from the continent, agreed to put in place the AUDA-NEPAD “100,000 MSMEs by 2021” programme.
The AUDA-NEPAD MSME programme will have five pillars:
(1) AUDA MSME Academy
(2) MSME Financing Support Programme
(3) MSME Marketplace
(4) MSME Micro-health insurance Scheme
(5) MSME digital platform.
These five pillars are designed to ensure that MSMEs across the continent are supported to become more resilient, improve their market access and take advantage of technology to tap into the African market of 1.3 billion consumers and leverage the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.
AUDA-NEPAD Chief Executive Officer Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki commended the contribution of all the Financial Institutions, Development Partners and other Stakeholders who participated in designing the “100,000 MSMEs by 2021” programme. He emphasised the need for all actors to work together and support the private sector in Africa, in order to protect employment and to create the 440 million jobs the continent will need by 2030.
