Enablis promotes local business creation by focusing its attention on the entrepreneurs rather than merely on their businesses. This NGO identifies the founders of the most promising SMEs and supports them as they Continue Reading
Donors must not simply focus on adopting strategies based on providing financing, they must also focus on demand. One of the reasons why it is difficult for SMEs to access financing is they are unable to attract Continue Reading
SME financing cannot be enhanced simply by scaling up volumes of financing. SMEs need to upgrade so that they can meet the eligibility criteria of bankers and other investors. I&P is aware of the difficulties Continue Reading
Firms and banks alike would seem to be responsible for the lack of SME financing in SSA: firms because of their shortfalls in meeting the classic requirements of the banking sector and banks because they could Continue Reading
SMEs may account for the bulk of firms and employment in SSA, yet they contribute very little to GDP. This is partly due to the financing constraints they meet. However, these firms have considerable socio-economic Continue Reading
The acuteness of information asymmetries between bankers and entrepreneurs, which cannot be offset by adequate loan securitization, constitutes one of the main stumbling blocks to SME financing in SSA. The gap Continue Reading
Despite signs of progress, SSA is still lagging compared to other regions when it comes to scaling up the volume of loans allocated to the private sector. If it is to catch up, some progress needs to be made in Continue Reading
Using bank survey data, this article compares the scale and type of bank lending to SMEs in Africa to that available outside the region. The data shows that bank financing to SMEs in Africa is less significant, more Continue Reading
African banks had just started to show interest in SMEs when the global crisis reversed the tide. The risk for SMEs is that they will suddenly be barred access to credit whereas they need long-term financing more Continue Reading
