Developing Africa’s private sector can lead to improved livelihoods, says Hamdok

ECA Press Release No. 143/2011

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 17-18 November, 2011- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with United Nations Conference and Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held a workshop earlier this month on the theme: “Capacity Building to Support the Development of SMEs: SME Networks and Business Linkages in Africa."

Deputy Executive Secretary of the ECA, Abdalla Hamdok, who opened the workshop remarked on how African governments are making considerable attempts at creating an environment conducive for the private sector to flourish in. The overall argument being that by improving the private sector in Africa the lives of Africans, in turn, will also be improved.

Quoting the founding document of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in 2001, Mr. Hamdok reiterated that the private sector is the engine of economic growth for Africa.

“At the center of the private sector in Africa lies the large number of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), which provide livelihoods for 60% of Africans and account for 90% of all industrial firms,” said Hamdok; and further underscored the positive impact the development of the private sector could also have for unemployment by creating jobs.

Participants identified some of the major challenges faced by SMEs in Africa; in particular the key issues involved in the development and establishment of networks of SMEs, including Business Linkages in Africa. The benefits of SMEs to their members and to the economy were also discussed at length at the workshop.

There was general consensus that the success of the private sector in Africa “depended on the degree to which they are able to overcome market and institutional failures, implement responsible business practices, meet standards and further improve quality and innovation.”

The workshop closed with the agreement that further support mechanisms must be developed for SMEs and business linkages on the continent, firstly in the SADC and EAC regions and then to the rest of the continent.

Present at the workshop were international development organizations, representatives from the Southern African Development Community (SADC); East African Community (EAC); Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) networks from around the world.

:: Aide Memoire
:: Initiatives and Support Mechanisms for SME Networks by Paul Thompson
:: Initiatives and Support Mechanismsfor SME Networks by Hong Siew LIM
:: Opportunities, Challenges and Gaps by Leora Rajak
:: The Role of ICTs in SMEs Development by Hopestone Kayiska Chavula
:: UNCTAD Entrepreneurship Policy Framework by Fiorina Mugione
:: A Policy Perspective by Fiorina Mugione
:: Non-Equity Modes of International Production and Development
:: SMEs in Africa: Opportunities & Challenges by Alberto Lemma & Peter Davis (Session 1)
:: SME Networks in Africa by Alberto Lemma & Peter Davis (Session 2)
:: Support mechanisms for SME networks by Peter Davis (Session 4)
:: Promotion of Business Linkages for SMEs’ Development - Assessment: Opportunities, challenges, and gaps by Peter Davis (Session 5)
:: SME business linkages: key learnings from Uganda by Ocici
:: The Potential of E-mentoring for Sustainable Economic Growth:The Case of the ATDF Platform by Philipp Aerni
:: Workshop on “Capacity Building to Support the Development of SMEs: SME Networks and Business Linkages in Africa” by Djamel Ghrib

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