On 20^th October 2022, KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki highlighted the role of Public-Private Dialogue in unlocking the potential of SMEs in Africa while addressing the third Choiseul Africa Business Forum in Casablanca, Morocco.

The Choiseul Africa Business Forum platform is dedicated to the development of business opportunities in Africa and with Africa, as well as to the sharing of experiences and the deciphering of trends in the African business environment. This year’s forum brought together some of the most influential decision-makers in Africa and Europe: corporate leaders, international funders, heads of State and ministers, and representatives of African and European business communities.

Speaking on a panel discussion on unlocking the potential of African SMEs, Ms. Kariuki said that KEPSA has continued to support the growth and development of SMEs through Policy advocacy locally and regionally, digitization, financial empowerment, facilitating market linkages by through B2B forums as well as providing training and mentorship opportunities.

“In our work of championing for an improved business environment to enhance development and increase Global competitiveness, KEPSA has been working with the Government to implement policy and business regulatory reforms that have seen Kenya improve in Ease of Doing Business from position 136 to the current position 56.” She said.

Ms. Kariuki also said that through building SMEs’ competitiveness, providing affordable financing, capacity building and provision of market linkages, Private Sector associations in Africa can be more effective in advocating for SMEs.

Other leaders who spoke on the same panel included Thierry Lacroix Head of Africa, Onepoint Group (France), Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer, African Guarantee Fund (Kenya), Pedro Novo, Executive Director in charge of Export, Bpifrance (France) and Freda Obeng-Ampofo, Founder, Kaeme Cosmetics (Ghana). The session was moderated by Laurent Benarousse, Managing Partner France & Maroc, Roland Berger (France).

At the end of the session, the caucus was in agreement on the importance of SMEs in Africa’s economy, especially in the creation of employment opportunities, and the need to identify the gaps that exist between SMEs and financial institutions and come up with favourable solutions to unlock their potential. Some of the solutions identified included the need to ensure employee loyalty and wellness, the digitalization of SMEs as a way of securing and increasing transactions and building an innovative platform for providing products and digital services.