Africa SME Champions Forum

In a context of growth for African economies these past 5 years, and with the incredible opportunity offered by the connection of the continent to the world, African SMEs will benefit the coming years, from countless development possibilities.

A general consensus on the key role of the private sector in Africa in creating jobs emerged.

As the main engine of growth, SMEs in particular appear as major facilitators of social development and economic growth. They represent:

• 90% of private companies,
• 75% of industrial employment,
• 70% of the hiring rate among the rural population,
• 45% to job creations,
• 33% to GDP, for each dollar invested in an SME, a multiplier effect of the order of 10 in favour of the local community.

The mission of the AFRICA SME CHAMPIONS FORUM, Nairobi 2015 is to enable about 300 high-growth African SMEs (the Champions of tomorrow) across the continent, to meet the best financial institutions in order to facilitate the mobilization of their funding.

The forum will offer a two-day structured program in Nairobi, Kenya, during which the leaders of African SMEs will benefit from the best advice for their development, with privileged access to financial institutions in order to facilitate funding mobilization.

Thus, the Forum will develop 6 aspects to enable SMEs to customize their program based on the needs of their organization.