High-level workshop: Mobilising investments for SMEs in West Africa

  • November 26, 2019

  • Dakar, Senegal

  • What:

    High Level workshop to examine various aspect of the financial landscape in West Africa

  • When:

    17 December 2019,

    9:00am - 7:00pm

  • Where:

    Radisson Blu Hotel,
    Sea Plaza
    Dakar, Senegal

  • Who:

    British Embassy in Senegal, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the London Stock Exchange Group

The British Embassy in Senegal, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and London Stock Exchange Group, are pleased to invite you to a high-level workshop on ‘Mobilising investments for SMEs in West Africa.’ The workshop will examine various aspects of the financial landscape in West Africa and explore how to attract more investment finance to the region. The event takes place as a prelude to the UK-Africa Investment Summit to be held in London in January 2020.

The working language of the workshop will be French. For English speakers, a translation will be available.

It is commonly accepted that the drivers of economic growth and long-term sustainability for emerging markets lie in the potential and effective development of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, especially in secondary cities. These enterprises face an array of challenges much greater than those of their counterparts in developed countries. Lack of access to finance is the single biggest hindrance to both the establishment of new African enterprises and the growth of existing ones. It is estimated that the continent’s formal SME sector has an annual financing gap of over US $136 billion.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) which has been present in Senegal since 1981, recognizes the importance of filling the missing middle finance gap for African economies and is jointly hosting a workshop with the British Embassy in Senegal and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) on ‘Mobilizing investments for SMEs in West Africa’.

The workshop will examine various aspect of the financial landscape in West Africa and explore how to attract more investment finance to the region, focusing on the following specific issues:

• Launch of the ‘Companies to Inspire Africa 2019’ report by LSEG
• The Ecosystem for SME finance in West Africa
• The UNCDF’s LDC Investment Platform
• Bottlenecks in Accessing Financing for the Missing Middle and Innovative Solutions for West African Companies, especially those located in secondary and growing cities
• Entrepreneurship and Investment in Africa: Insights from Women Leaders
• Looking Ahead to the UK-Africa Investment Summit, London

The workshop will examine various aspect of the financial landscape in West Africa and explore how to attract more investment finance to the region. The event takes place as a prelude to the UK-Africa Investment Summit to be held in London in January 2020.

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AGENDA

Tuesday, 17 December 2019

08:45 - Guest registration
09:00 - Welcoming Speech and Opening Remarks
Speakers:
• H.E. Victoria Billing OBE, British Ambassador to Senegal
• Priya Gajraj, UN Resident Coordinator, Senegal
• Xavier Michon, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNCDF
• Aaron Singh, International Market Strategy, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
09:30 - Session 1: Launch of Inspire Africa 2019 Report and discussion on The Ecosystem for SME finance in West Africa
In this session LSEG will present the ‘Companies to Inspire Africa 2019’ report, that identifies high growth companies that have the potential to transform the African economy and become tomorrow’s job creators. Then a panel discussion will be held, in which the invited panelists will explore the actions to be taken by governments and institutions to support the growth of SMEs and address the challenge of digitization across West Africa. The panel will also discuss the important role of municipalities in creating an enabling environment in secondary cities for SMEs.
Moderator: Xavier Michon, Deputy Executive Secretary,UNCDF
Discussion Q&A with audience
10:15 - Presentation: UNCDF’s LDCs Investment Platform
In this session, UNCDF will present the LDC Investment Platform. The Platform provides seed funding- through loans and guarantees- to investments in LDCS that are deemed too small or too risky by traditional investors.
Presenter: Fabrizio Cometto, Investment Specialist, LDC Investment Platform, UNCDF
10:45 - Coffee break
11:00 - Session 2: Bottlenecks in Accessing Financing for the Missing Middle and Innovative Solutions for West African Companies, especially in secondary and growing cities
During the second session, the discussion will focus on the challenges West African companies face, especially those located in secondary and growing cities. It will explore innovative solutions for addressing the missing middle finance gap, as well as opportunities and risk mitigation strategies for SME’s in the region and highlight the importance of supporting a well-functioning local ecosystem through PPP’s.
Moderator: Christel Alvergne, Regional Coordinator West and Central Africa, UNCDF
11:45 - Session 3: Entrepreneurship and Investment in Africa: Insights from Women Leaders
The third roundtable will highlight the challenges of entrepreneurship and investment in Africa faced by female business leaders.
Moderator: Saliou Seck, Head of International Trade, British Embassy in Senegal
12:30 - Concluding Remarks Looking Ahead to the UK-Africa Investment Summit, London
Concluding remarks by UNCDF and British Embassy in Senegal
13:00 - Group Picture and lunch
14:15 - Launch of UNCDF Photo Exhibit
18:00 - Reception at the British Embassy: Looking Ahead to the UK-Africa Investment Summit, London 2020

High-level workshop: Mobilising investments for SMEs in West Africa

17 Dec 2019 @ 9:00am - 7:00pm

High Level workshop to examine various aspect of the financial landscape in West Africa