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African Development Fund approves nearly $43 million to boost access to finance and non-financial services for Ethiopian Youth and Women-led MSMEs

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African Development Fund

The program focuses on improving access to finance, providing business development services, and strengthening the entrepreneurship enabling environment

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 22, 2024/APO Group/ — 

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund – the African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) concessional financing window – approved a grant of $42.86 million to Ethiopia on 22 May 2024 to fund the implementation of the Agri-MSMEs development for jobs Program.  

Aimed at boosting the growth and productivity of youth and women-led MSMEs in Ethiopia, the program focuses on improving access to finance, providing business development services, and strengthening the entrepreneurship enabling environment.

AfDB’s financing is bolstered by a $10 million contribution from the Development Bank of Ethiopia and $6.24 million from the Ethiopian Government. These will significantly boost this promising initiative seeking to eliminate the barriers to finance access for youth and women entrepreneurs’ access in Ethiopia.

The project aims to enhance the growth and productivity of over 8,000 micro, small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) led by young people and women. Emphasizing the transformational nature of the project, AfDB Deputy Director General for East Africa, Dr Abdul Kamara, stated, “The project interventions are timely and will support major sector reforms that will help strengthen the strategic and institutional framework for financial inclusion, and youth- and women-led entrepreneurship development in Ethiopia”.  

The project focus on youth and women entrepreneurs will immensely contribute to advancing the inclusive growth agenda and gender commitments of the Bank

The project comprises two pillars. One seeks to expand access to finance and non-financial services for youth and women led agri-MSMEs, with institutional capacity strengthening for the main institutional providers of non-financial services. Not only will it support financial institutions to increase lending to youth and women-led Agri-MSMEs, it will also improve the quality and range of services offered by key public and private sector entrepreneurship service providers.

These enhancements are designed to increase the quality of business development services and promote stronger linkages across different service providers. Ms Martha Phiri, AfDB Director for Human Development confirmed that “the project focus on youth and women entrepreneurs will immensely contribute to advancing the inclusive growth agenda and gender commitments of the Bank”.

The second pilar centres on designing, establishing and deploying the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB) (https://apo-opa.co/44QwcvG) framework. Its goal is to offer long-term financial and non-financial support to mitigate risks for youth entrepreneurs and nurture their talents and entrepreneurial spirit. The support includes a management company to oversee an equity investment fund providing long-term patient capital to youth businesses in the form of equity and quasi equity. The management company will also work closely with the national Public Credit Guarantee Scheme under design to provide guarantees to financial institutions to incentivise them to lend to youth businesses, which are most often asset-light, without collateral. It will also work closely with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute under the Ministry of Labour and Skills to build MSME capacity.

The Bank’s Acting Director of Financial Sector Development, Mr Ahmed Attout explained that, “The YEIB aims to transform hurdles for young entrepreneurs by acting as ecosystem anchor, convening stakeholders, achieving financial synergies, and establishing youth entrepreneurs as an attractive investment asset class.”

The project implementation emphasizes collaboration with the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, seeking to capitalize on opportunities for strengthening  businesses, while focusing on climate adaptation through capacity building and empowerment initiatives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Business

Canada–Africa Financing Forum to Convene Investors and Decision-Makers in Cape Town – May 14, 2026

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Ateau Zola

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships

TORONTO, Canada, April 29, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada–Africa Chamber of Business (https://CanadaAfrica.ca) will convene investors, financiers, policymakers, and industry leaders in Cape Town on May 14, 2026 for the Canada–Africa Financing Forum—a high-level platform focused on unlocking capital and accelerating deal flow across African markets.

Registration is open (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships. The program connects leaders from venture capital, private equity, and institutional investors to examine where capital is moving—and where the next opportunities lie—supported by Canadian project partners with proven capacity to deliver on-the-ground.

Delegates will engage directly with finance and investment decision-makers, following the program opening, featuring messages from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Mark Carney, in addition to high-level Ministerial representation.

This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation

“This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation,” said Garreth Bloor, President of the Canada–Africa Chamber of Business. “We are convening investors, institutions, and project leaders who are actively shaping transactions across Africa—and connecting them directly with Canadian partners who are ready to work together.”

The Canada–Africa Financing Forum reflects the Chamber’s role as a privately financed, market-led platform advancing Canada-Africa trade and investment through world-class networking and information-sharing events.

Why Attend

  • Direct access to active dealmakers and capital allocators
  • Insights into where capital is being deployed and key players delivering major projects
  • Opportunities to build partnerships across Canada and African markets
  • Participation in a curated, high-level environment focused on execution

Secure Your Place

Space is limited and demand is strong.

Apply to secure your place (http://apo-opa.co/4vXb9oz)

Read More and View the Program (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

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ORUN and 1xBET Partner to Support a Dynamic Creative Africa

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MIR Holding

During the MASA 2026 edition, held from April 11 to 18, 2026, ORUN and 1xBET implemented the We Champion Talent program, an initiative aimed at promoting African talent and advancing the development of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –As part of the Innovation Village co-organized with MASA at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan from April 14 to 18, ORUN (https://ORUN.Africa) announces the rollout of its partnership with 1xBET to support a creative Africa that is structuring itself, professionalizing, and scaling across the continent.

We aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency

Designed as a space of convergence between heritage, innovation, and knowledge transmission, the Innovation Village features scenography crafted by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses on creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a major institutional highlight on April 17. Its narrative platform is built around three pillars: memory, structure, and transmission. The initiative aims to position cultural and creative industries as an economic driver for the continent.

“The Innovation Village was conceived as an act of construction. By partnering with organizations such as 1xBET, we aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

This vision aligns with ORUN’s broader ambition to produce, structure, and internationalize African creative industries through events, content, and strategic partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of ORUN, part of African Currency Network (ACN).

 

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MIR Holding Reaffirms Its Commitment to African Creative Industries Alongside ORUN at Marché des Arts du Spectacle Africain d’Abidjan (MASA) 2026

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MIR Holding

More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –On the occasion of MASA 2026, held from April 11 to 18 in Abidjan, MIR Holding (https://MIRHolding.odoo.com) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of African creative industries by partnering with ORUN as part of the Innovation Village, hosted at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan. This presence reflects a clear intention to support the scaling of cultural and creative industries so they can fully contribute to job creation and value generation across the continent.

 

Co-organized by ORUN and MASA, the Innovation Village brought together over several days scenography designed by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses dedicated to creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a key institutional highlight on April 17.

At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains

Built around three pillars — memory, structure, and transmission — the initiative carried a renewed ambition for culture: positioning it as a concrete lever for economic structuring and African projection.

By supporting this initiative, MIR Holding aligns with a broader dynamic aimed at strengthening connections between creation, entrepreneurship, content, youth, and growth ecosystems. More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures. MIR Holding stands among the main partners of the Village, alongside Africa Currency Network and other stakeholders engaged in this vision.

“With ORUN, we are not only seeking to make culture visible. We aim to help provide it with a framework, a reach, and a trajectory. What is at stake here is the continent’s ability to better transform its creative energy into sustainable value, real opportunities, and influence,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

Mouhamed Dieng, President of MIR Holding, added: “Supporting Africa’s creative industries is not about backing a secondary sector. It is about investing in one of the continent’s most powerful spaces for storytelling, youth, innovation, and competitiveness. At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MIR Holding.

 

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