AFRICAN SME FINANCE & INVESTMENT SUMMIT

Purpose and background 

In recent years, particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several emerging issues have posed severe challenges to the African region’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the SME finance finance ecosystem. Overcoming these challenges by providing new opportunities for SMEs is fundamental to expanding and positioning African SMEs and SME investors and financiers for future progress and growth that leaves no one behind. 

The Summit aims to help African SMEs and investors access regional and international markets, mobilize diverse financial resources, benefit from regional and international networks, and increase their ability to scale up. Moreover, the Summit will act as a regional platform for national and international leaders from the SME finance ecosystem, public and private sectors to advocate inclusive policies and strategies required to support African SMEs and investors. 

The Summit will bring together some 700 targeted participants, including entrepreneurs, investors, business influencers, political leaders, economists, journalists, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, and donors, to discuss regional and international business opportunities for African SMEs and the SME finance ecosystem across 10 main sessions and 10 side events. 

The Summit will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 20-22 March 2024.

Objectives 

The Summit aims to enhance partnerships and expand SME opportunities and new investments across the African region and internationally by achieving the following objectives: 

• Engaging SME investors and connecting them with policymakers and other stakeholders to foster investor-friendly policies and conducive business environments.
• Inspiring African entrepreneurs with regional and global business models and success      stories. 
• Providing networking and clustering opportunities and fostering strategic alliances. 
• Delivering targeted capacity-building to government entities, investors, business enablers and SMEs. 
• Engaging African countries in developing improved SME policy frameworks that promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and build resilient infrastructures to nurture African SMEs and return on investments for investors. 

Expected outcomes 

• Connect SME investors with policymakers and other stakeholders in the SME finance ecosystem in Africa for economic growth, innovation and market expansion.
• Inspire new and interested investors in SME finance and other impact investment opportunities in Africa. 
• Enhance SME access to opportunities and strategic partnerships to drive their growth at the regional and international levels. 
• Improve SME capacity to support government institutions and the private sector to expand SME potential. 
• Influence policymakers to strengthen the business-enabling environment for African SMEs. 

Theme and structure 

The 2023 Summit’s theme is “Maximizing opportunities beyond borders,” which will be divided into the following subthemes over two days: 

• Opportunities to access markets and global value chains (GVCs) 
• Financial opportunities and green growth
• Access to finance and financial inclusion
• Digitization and disruptive innovation 
• Impact investing and sustainability

Each day will start with an inspirational panel that showcases inspiring businesses from the African region and globally, and investor case studies showcasing impact investments in SME businesses, followed by an opportunities know-how discussion to elaborate the practical interventions needed to strengthen SME access to opportunities. After lunch, parallel panel discussions will provide an overview of best practices in the region on strategies, policies, and support programmes. Subsequently, three parallel capacity-building workshops and interactive discussions will take place to provide hands-on tools and methodologies to empower African SMEs and provide new impact investment opportunities for emerging investors.

In addition, the Summit will provide an interactive exhibition space for 100 conveners, including SMEs, investors, business enablers, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, donors, and international delegations. 

Moreover, the Summit will host 10 side events over two days, organized by ASFIN partners, focusing on specific target groups and relevant topics, in addition to networking spaces and dedicated media booths.