By mid-October 2022, 150 small and medium-sized enterprises will be selected to participate
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, September 27, 2022/APO Group/ —
It has been three years since the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) launched a programme in Madagascar to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.
Objectives: To enable them to achieve economies of scale and create better employment opportunities for women and young people in key sectors of the Malagasy economy, in order to reduce inequality and poverty by building on private sector development.
Dubbed the SME “Business Linkage Program” (https://bit.ly/3RhA6W3), this programme, which already exists in Ghana and Senegal and is being prepared for the G5 Sahel countries, contributes to achieving one of the African Development Bank’s major objectives: to stimulate economic growth and social progress in Africa.
A new call for applications has been launched, open to all Malagasy small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to join the programme. By mid-October 2022, 150 small and medium-sized enterprises will be selected to participate.
Launched in September 2020, the SME Business Linkage programme has already benefited a first contingent of Malagasy small and medium enterprises.
This call for applications is aimed mainly at small and medium-sized Malagasy companies with a strong potential for commercial links with large companies
Some 300 Malagasy small and medium-sized enterprises operating in various economic sectors, 40% of which are run by women and young people, have taken part in the programme since its launch. A total of 607 enterprises from all over the country applied for the first year of the programme; 183 formal small and medium enterprises were selected and 141 actually completed the programme.
The small and medium-sized enterprises selected in this first phase come from 15 regions of Madagascar (58% from the Analamanga region, 8% from Vakinankaratra, 5% from Atsinanana, and 4% from Boeny). Half are run by women, 42% are young entrepreneurs under 35, 57% have 5-10 employees, 53% have been in business for less than 5 years and 32% have been in business for 6-15 years. In addition, 45% operate in the agribusiness sector and 16% in the service sector.
The SME Business Linkage programme has three thrusts, relating to access to skills, market and finance.
Regarding “access to skills”, participating businesses benefited from a capacity building programme in entrepreneurial culture, diagnostics, business plan development, and training in managerial skills, coaching and mentoring, as well as facilitating business linkages. Beneficiaries were also given the opportunity to undertake immersion internships in established companies.
The market access component, which concerns the establishment of a digital platform for connecting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with large established companies, is underway. This platform, which will be called “Mada Business Linkage”, will allow – among other things – large companies involved in the provision of goods and services to publish their needs for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, via a registration and listing system. The platform will be operational in early 2023; initially dedicated to the beneficiary companies of the programme, it will then be open to any formal company duly registered.
As for the “access to financing” component, a credit guarantee system has been set up with two local partner banks to promote access to financing for small and medium-sized Madagascan companies, so that they can respond to requests from large companies. This can be cash flow or investment financing. The partnership agreements are about to be finalised.
Small and medium-sizedMalagasy enterpriseswishing to participate in this second phase of the programme, which is due to end in December 2023, are invited to register directly on the page. This call for applications is aimed mainly at small and medium-sized Malagasy companies with a strong potential for commercial links with large companies. Professional groups and chambers of commerce and industry are encouraged to relay the information to their members.
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.
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
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).
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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