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Guinea: USD 14 million loan from the African Development Fund will support industrial development and resilience of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

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2 years ago

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African Development Fund

The goal is to speed up economic transformation through stimulation of SMEs, including women’s SMEs, industrial modernisation and exports, making the economy more competitive and promoting private investment

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 26, 2024/APO Group/ — 

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (https://apo-opa.co/3VAvcHY), the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org), has approved a loan of US $14.04 million to Guinea for implementation in the country of the Industrial Development and SME Resilience Support Project.

The financing comes from Pillar 1 of the Transition Support Facility (https://apo-opa.co/4eIc1VA), an AfDB financing instrument for fragile and transition countries. It will enable Guinea to strengthen its institutional capacity to promote industrial development and resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The project focuses on improving the capacity of the West African country to plan, coordinate, monitor and promote industrial development. It will also enable a programme to be put in place to support the growth and resilience of small enterprises and industries and to strengthen the delivery of public services to private business.

The main challenge, which the project seeks to address, is the lack of institutional capacity to steer and implement industrial policy at macroeconomic and sectoral level. This also applies at the microeconomic level (the level of firms).

Support from the African Development Fund will enable Guinea to address the root causes of fragility and consolidate sources of long-term resilience

Ousmane Fall, Director of the Bank’s Industrial Development and Trade Department, stressed that Guinea has great potential for industrial development, but until now this has remained largely untapped.

“Support from the African Development Fund will enable Guinea to address the root causes of fragility and consolidate sources of long-term resilience through institutional development to achieve sustainable and inclusive industrialisation in Guinea, promoting private sector development and the consolidation of a peaceful and resilient society,” Fall said.

Support from the Fund will enable Guinea to acquire the capacity it needs to promote the development of new productive assets that can diversify the economy and create jobs. The support will also stimulate structural transformation and generate the productivity gains that are needed to improve the quality of life of the people of Guinea and to strengthen the country’s economic and social resilience.

The project has three components: strengthening of planning capacity and steering and implementing development policy; integrated support for resilience, growth of green industry and growth of SMEs-SMIs; project management and coordination.

The project will directly or indirectly benefit all participants of private-sector industry in Guinea. Women and young people (female and male) will benefit from increased opportunities thanks to strengthening the support ecosystem to the private sector, helping them to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a new industrial policy and the provisions of the law on local content.

Strengthening of institutional capacity for industrial policies should have long-term effects for development in Guinea. The goal is to speed up economic transformation through stimulation of SMEs, including women’s SMEs, industrial modernisation and exports, making the economy more competitive and promoting private investment. Improvement of human resources will also be a priority, with special focus on young people and on the reduction of gender inequalities and other disparities.

The project reinforces AfDB Group’s ongoing work in Guinea aimed at developing agro-industry and specialised agro-industrial processing zones, developing the private sector by bringing businesses out of the shadow sector, and promoting entrepreneurship among young people and women.

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

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Learning curves: Addressing the skills shortage in African mining

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17 hours ago

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March 23, 2026

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mining

The discussion will unpack key factors contributing to the skills shortage and examine how stronger collaboration between mining companies, universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions can help bridge the gap

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 23, 2026/APO Group/ –The African mining industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements, increasing sustainability demands, and rising global demand for critical minerals. However, a widening skills gap continues to pose a significant challenge to the sector’s growth and long-term competitiveness.

 

To address this pressing issue, an upcoming webinar hosted by Vuka group’s Mining Review Africa will bring together industry experts to explore practical solutions for building a skilled and future-ready mining workforce across the continent.

The discussion will unpack key factors contributing to the skills shortage and examine how stronger collaboration between mining companies, universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions can help bridge the gap. It will also consider how digitalisation and automation are reshaping workforce requirements, and what this means for the next generation of mining professionals.

Participants can expect insights on:

  • Key causes of the mining skills shortage across Africa
  • Strengthening collaboration between industry, universities, and TVET institutions
  • The impact of digitalisation and automation on workforce requirements
  • Strategies for developing the next generation of mining professionals
  • Practical solutions for upskilling and workforce development
  • How regional collaboration can develop a skilled workforce
  • Preventing the brain drain in African mining as skilled workers seek greener pastures

 

Event details:
Date: 7 May 2026
Time: 14:00 (SAST)

To register for the webinar, visit: https://apo-opa.co/4brnadB

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

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Business

Mining Review Africa Introduces French and Portuguese Website Translation

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17 hours ago

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March 23, 2026

By

vukagroup

By enabling multilingual access, Mining Review Africa aims to better serve its diverse readership, including industry professionals, policymakers and investors who rely on timely mining news and insights

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 20, 2026/APO Group/ –VUKA Group’s (https://WeAreVUKA.com/) Mining Review Africa has introduced French and Portuguese translations on its website, responding to growing demand from readers across the continent.

 

This allows users to access content in multiple languages, improving accessibility for audiences in regions where English is not widely used.

We recognise that language should not be a barrier to information, especially in a sector that plays such a critical role in the continent’s economic growth

The move follows insights gathered by VUKA Group during its flagship mining events held across Africa, including DRC Mining Week, Angola International Mining Conference and Nigeria Mining Week The organisers noted a clear need for more inclusive communication, particularly in countries where French and Portuguese are dominant languages in business and industry engagement.

By enabling multilingual access, Mining Review Africa aims to better serve its diverse readership, including industry professionals, policymakers and investors who rely on timely mining news and insights.

“This development is part of our ongoing commitment to making mining content more accessible across Africa,” Mining Review Africa’s Editor-In-Chief, Gerard Peter said. “We recognise that language should not be a barrier to information, especially in a sector that plays such a critical role in the continent’s economic growth.”

The translation feature is now live and available to all users on the Mining Review Africa website.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

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Business

Qianhai Launches OPC Mavericks Program to Empower Global AI Solopreneurs

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17 hours ago

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March 23, 2026

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QianHai

SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 March 2026 – On March 18, Qianhai, a flagship hub for institutional opening-up, high-end services and technological innovation in southern China, officially opened the application portal for the Qianhai OPC (One-Person Company) International Community and launched its global OPC Mavericks Program. Adhering to the philosophy of “All Innovation, Zero Distraction”, the initiative aims to build the world’s leading ecosystem for AI-driven one-person companies.

Widely recognized as a pioneering zone for China’s institutional opening-up and a key innovation node in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Qianhai leads the country in piloting cross-border cooperation, regulatory innovation and business-friendly reforms. It has grown into a highland for advanced services, tech research and development, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, connecting global talents, capital and technologies with the massive market of the Greater Bay Area.

The OPC Mavericks Program targets six elite groups: academic pioneers, tech veterans, global AI competition winners, elite prodigies, influential open-source contributors, and outstanding graduates in AI and computer science. Eligible projects should leverage generative AI, large language models, AI agents and automation to build sustainable closed-loop businesses.

As the world’s first vertical accelerator dedicated to OPCs, the community provides a tailor-made AI launchpad with the SENSE ecosystem and the “Eight Zeros” guarantee to remove startup barriers: supported office space up to 200㎡ for two years, talent housing up to 50㎡ per person, annual free computing power up to 50P, free LLM trials, Greater Bay Area market access, collateral-free loans, high-risk-tolerance seed funding, annual talent rewards up to 600,000 RMB, and one-stop services for visas, finance, IP, taxation and global internet access.

To help global innovators experience opportunities in the region, Qianhai offers the Shenzhen-Hong Kong 72-Hour Experience Pass, which was officially launched in 2025. This pass provides streamlined entry arrangements, guided visits to tech platforms, enterprises and research institutions in both cities, and on-site insights into the OPC entrepreneurship environment. It serves as a key channel for global talents to fully explore cooperation and development prospects in the Greater Bay Area.

The program supports AI solopreneurs to turn ideas into scalable businesses. Qualified applicants can submit core founder resumes and project pitch decks to inqianhai@qhidg.com to join the program and embrace new opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.

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