Uganda will host the 7th edition of the Africa SME Champions Forum at Speke Resort Munyonyo, in Kampala, Uganda. The event, cohosted by the Arab Bank for Development in Africa (BADEA) and empowered by AfricSearch, will bring together 300 of Africa’s top SMEs, institutional funding organisations, venture capitalists, angel investors and ecosystem builders.
With Africa moving towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Forum is set to reconnect African SMEs for enhanced cooperation, alliance building and partnerships for accelerated growth.
Attending SMEs will also engage with opportunities for regional expansion, working capital access and capacity building. In addition to the core program, delegates will benefit from capacity building in masterclasses including investment readiness, business management, e-Commerce, financing, growth and gender inclusion.
“SMEs play an important role in Africa’s economic development. They provide 70% of jobs created, over 60% of the continent’s GDP and they are an engine for transformation and innovation. Therefore, investing in them means we are investing in Africa’s future. Our partnership with the Arab Bank for Development in Africa (BADEA) will be a catalyst in accelerating the development of the SMEs across Africa,” said Mr. Didier Acouetey, Chairman of the Forum and Group President of AfricSearch.
The event will also see the launch of the Africa SME Growth Fund and the Africa SME Growth Initiative.
In addition to that various awards will be given for the SME of the year , the femaie Entrepreneur of the Year, Start up of the year, Financial Institution of the Year (that has supported the most SMEs), A Special Recognition Award and the MSME Coalition Award.
The Africa SME Champions Forum is the foremost gathering dedicated to supporting the growth of African SMEs. It has been running since 2014 with the objective of improving the SME landscape and providing growth support to SMEs – the engine of the African economies. The forum brings practical and operational solutions to the financing and growth challenges faced by SMEs in Africa.
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