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Transition Support Facility: Focusing on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for post-Covid reconstruction in Africa

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3 years ago

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MSME

It is now clear that promoting an enabling environment for MSMEs is crucial for economic recovery, poverty reduction and long-term stability

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 29, 2023/APO Group/ — 

To face the unprecedented new global challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the spotlight has turned to the importance of the private sector in building resilience in transition states and in particular, the crucial role of supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Indeed, the latter have seen their already pre-existing fragility aggravated by the consequences of the health crisis. It is now clear that promoting an enabling environment for MSMEs is crucial for economic recovery, poverty reduction and long-term stability. Efforts are now being made to empower SMEs, especially those owned or created by women and/or young people, in order to harness their potential for job creation, stimulate innovation and strengthen local economies, and thereby pave the way for a more resilient post-pandemic era on the African continent.

Between 2020 and 2022, the Transition Support Facility (TSF) (https://apo-opa.info/3CSPRhx), a disbursement mechanism designed to help countries consolidate peace, build resilient institutions, stabilize their economies and lay the foundations for inclusive growth, funded projects addressing the imperative of building resilience in more than 10 African states in transition, countries where the main development challenge is fragility – Madagascar, South Sudan, Mozambique, Burundi, Comoros, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. These projects financed by the TAF are based on initiatives in favor of the development of SMEs and the private sector introduced as early as 2016. These projects extended often over a minimum of 24 months, and deployed capacity building measures as well as technical assistance in terms of skills acquisition, access to markets and financing.

Strengthen resilience in African states in transition, by focusing on entrepreneurship and vocational training, access for vulnerable populations to markets and financing

In Liberia, most of the obstacles facing young people who wish to embark on entrepreneurship are linked to the limited availability of business development training and reduced access to finance. As part of a project initiated (https://apo-opa.info/44rlU3Z) in 2016, academic, technical, vocational and functional entrepreneurship centers and programs targeted and improved the employability and skill levels of nearly 2,000 young people in Liberia.

From 2021, Nimba County University, one of the institutions benefiting from this project to promote entrepreneurship and employment of young people, organized a capacity-building competition to stimulate the creation and development of new innovative business models. The reward for winners was the start-up capital to launch their business.

Capacity building is also essential for developing entrepreneurship and self-reliance among populations severely affected by conflict and instability, such as internally displaced persons and refugees.

Capacity building is also essential for developing entrepreneurship and self-reliance among populations severely affected by conflict and instability

In Mozambique, a capacity building project funded by the TSF promotes economic inclusion and self-reliance in refugee and internally displaced person camps, as well as host communities, in the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado. Through capacity building and market linkages, the project aims to foster the emergence of inclusive economic opportunities for refugees, displaced people and the private and public sectors at the local level. By improving the ability of refugees, IDPs and their host communities to respond to market demand, the project aims to create more sustainable opportunities. At the same time, the private sector will be able to benefit from greater access to stable supply chains.

In South Sudan, a Private Sector Development Project was launched in a fragile context in 2021. At an estimated cost of $2.145 million and implemented over 36 months, the project will improve employment opportunities, incomes and market access for young people and women. This project aims, on the one hand, to support the creation and development of 300 micro and small enterprises (MSEs), through business development services, technical training, market links and access to microfinance institutions for financing. On the other hand, the project aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of government and private sector entities through the promotion of MSE development and the economic empowerment of women and youth.

This is also the case of the “Africa Business Linkages” program” (ABL) (https://apo-opa.info/46Emopk), a pilot program deployed in Madagascar to improve the skills, governance and operations of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, leveraging the private sector ecosystem. By developing forward and backward market linkages, the program provides MSMEs – especially those headed by women (at least 40%) – with access to markets and finance. This should contribute significantly to an increase in the value and the number of contracts concluded by MSMEs, an increase in demand for goods and services of local origin – especially those produced by young people and women – and greater access to finance, thanks to existing programs and the resources of local banks.

Building Resilience in Intra-African Cross-Border Trade and Investments

Free trade agreements, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) adopted in 2018, are often greeted with enthusiasm, displaying ambitious objectives and programs planned over several years. However, the success of such initiatives aimed at improving the economy, depends largely on the ability of actors involved and their constraints. These constraints prove to be much more pernicious in states in transition or in situations of fragility. Here again, SMEs and the private sector in these countries clearly stand out as essential channels for developing their resilience and their ability to strengthen their economic participation in free trade areas.

Since early 2022, four states in transition – Burundi, Comoros, Gambia and Sierra Leone – have benefited from a TSF Pillar III-funded project (estimated cost of $2.9 million) aimed at boosting trade and investment by providing technical assistance and capacity building. Support focuses on building regional trade readiness with a gender-sensitive perspective, filling capacity gaps, streamlining processes and digitizing services in national agencies dedicated to trade, SMEs and investment promotion. The project is expected to continue until December 2023.

The potential of SMEs to spur economic recovery, reduce poverty and foster long-term stability in transitional states has been demonstrated and efforts are now geared towards empowering more of them, especially those led by women and youth. In several African states, projects funded by the Transition Support Facility are playing a key role in building resilience, such as in Liberia, Mozambique and South Sudan.

By providing capacity building, access to markets and expanded finance, and encouraging entrepreneurship, these initiatives are producing tangible improvements in skills, jobs and economic inclusion among socially vulnerable populations. Another feature of these TSF-funded projects is that they focus on improving each country’s level of preparedness for cross-border trade and investment under free trade initiatives like the AfCFTA.

For more information on the Bank Group’s 3rd Strategy to Address Fragility and Build Resilience in Africa, which runs from 2022 to 2026, and the Transition Support Facility (TSF), click here (https://apo-opa.info/3pplYCp).

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

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Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 opens in Lagos, bringing together leading African and diaspora creatives, investors and policymakers

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23 hours ago

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November 6, 2026

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The four-day gathering will convene leading voices from film, music, fashion, sport, publishing, gastronomy and business to advance trade, investment and commercial opportunities across Africa’s creative economy

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 has opened today in Lagos, bringing together leading creatives, investors, policymakers, business leaders and cultural figures from across Africa and the diaspora for four days of conversations, deal-making, performances, exhibitions and industry-focused sessions.

 




  

Hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, this year’s event runs from 5 to 8 November under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World.”

The 2026 programme spans film and television, music, fashion, sport, literature and publishing, gastronomy and visual arts, with a strong focus on finance, intellectual property, technology, skills, investment and market access.

Across the four-day programme, CANEX WKND will provide platforms for deal-making, industry dialogue and sector-specific engagement, including the CANEX Deal Room, with the aim of turning creative talent and ideas into stronger businesses, partnerships and commercial opportunities.

That ambition reflects the evolution of Afreximbank’s commitment to Africa’s creative and cultural industries in 2020, subsequently doubling this to US$1 billion before quadrupling the original commitment financing available to US$2 billion.

The expansion reflects Afreximbank’s wider objective of helping African creators and creative businesses build scalable enterprises, strengthen ownership of intellectual property and retain more of the economic value generated by African culture and creativity.

The opening ceremony is expected to feature addresses by Ministers of Culture and Creative Industries across 11 African countries, Dr George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, H.E. Dr Olajumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, and H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State among other dignitaries.

The programme will bring together some of Africa and the diaspora’s most influential cultural and industry figures. Participants include Nobel Laureate, writer and playwright Professor Wole Soyinka; Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba; filmmaker and actor Funke Akindele; actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Thuso Mbedu; former professional footballers Didier Drogba and Jay-Jay Okocha; alongside leading figures from Africa’s music, film, fashion, sport and creative business sectors.

The event will also include performances and appearances from musicians and entertainers such as Davido, Fally Ipupa, Flavour, Libianca and Charlotte Dipanda, reflecting CANEX WKND’s combination of industry engagement with live cultural programming.

Beyond the headline names, the programme places a strong emphasis on the business of Africa’s creative economy.

On 6 November, a high-level conversation titled “One Market, One Culture: Building the Creative Economy of Global Africa” will examine the steps required to convert the growing global influence of African culture into stronger creative businesses, exports and investment. Speakers include Professor Wole Soyinka; ministers responsible for culture and the arts from Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and Rwanda; International Finance Corporation representatives; and from Afreximbank.

Financing will also be central to the programme. The Creative Economy Finance Summit, presented by Afreximbank in partnership with the Creative Economy Practice at Co-Creation Hub, will bring financial institutions and investors together to examine how creative-economy transactions can be structured, financed and de-risked.

CANEX Creations Inc. will lead discussions on unlocking investment in African intellectual property, while the CANEX Deal Room and Creative Pitch Sessions will connect creative entrepreneurs directly with financiers and investors considering opportunities across film and television, music, fashion, sport, publishing, gastronomy, visual arts and creative infrastructure. Technology and the changing economics of creative production will feature prominently. Sessions will examine artificial intelligence, authorship and intellectual property; the use of technology to reshape creative businesses; and how African creators can use digital tools to develop globally competitive products.

The CANEX CreaThon, delivered with pan-African technology company Gebeya, will bring creators, developers and innovators together around projects in music, video and gaming, supported by African-built digital tools, mentorship, computing resources and a US$50,000 prize pool. Film and television programming will explore both storytelling and the commercial infrastructure required to take African content to wider audiences. Sessions include “Stories Without Borders: Africa, Hollywood & the Global Diaspora”, featuring former Afreximbank President Professor Benedict Oramah, and “Made in Africa, Watched in Africa”, which will examine research into film distribution, audiences and financing across Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.

Sport will form another major strand of CANEX WKND 2026. Discussions will examine athlete development, management, commercialisation and the links between sport and the broader creative economy. Didier Drogba and Jay-Jay Okocha are scheduled to participate in “When Giants Speak: The Business of the Game,” while the weekend will conclude with a Legends Football Match at Onikan Stadium on 8 November. Fashion programming will include masterclasses on building profitable African brands, textile value chains, market access and intellectual property, alongside the CANEX Fashion Show and Awards Night.

In gastronomy, the CANEX Junior Chefs Competition, Africa Jollof Wars Competition and a series of live demonstrations and conversations will explore how African food, ingredients and culinary traditions can become stronger commercial propositions across domestic, continental and global markets. Publishing and literature will feature through the CANEX Book Factory, Book Fair, writers’ workshops, manuscript pitching and the CANEX Prize for Publishing, while visual arts programming will combine exhibitions, collector engagement and practical sessions for artists navigating Africa’s growing art ecosystem.

On 7 November, CANEX WKND 2026 will host a major concert bringing together artists from across Africa and the diaspora, before the programme continues into its final day on 8 November with cultural excursions, gastronomy activities, the CANEX Music Factory Songwriting Camp and the Legends Football Game.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

 




 

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Coca-Cola system invests USD 1.22 million to strengthen water security in Namibia

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23 hours ago

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November 6, 2026

By

Coca-Cola

The initiative represents a nearly USD 25 million investment focused on helping address critical water-related challenges across 20 African countries by 2030

WINDHOEK, Namibia, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –As Namibia continues to face recurring droughts and growing water demand, the country’s water resources are under increasing pressure. Windhoek is situated in one of the most water-stressed regions in sub-Saharan Africa, where low and unpredictable rainfall, combined with high evaporation rates, continues to challenge water availability and long-term water security.[1]

 




  

To help address these shared water challenges, the Coca-Cola system is investing USD 1.22 million in the //Gam-i Swakop Basin Resilience Project, designed to help strengthen water security and support ecosystem restoration in the Swakop River Basin, a vital water source for the city of Windhoek and surrounding communities.

The //Gam-i Swakop Basin Resilience Project aims to support improved water availability and help strengthen the resilience of the Swakop River Basin through nature-based solutions that support sustainable water resource management across the catchment area.

Implemented in collaboration with the Global Water Challenge (GWC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Namibia, the project includes the construction of two sand storage dams, restoration of 235 hectares of land through the clearing of invasive alien plants, and the planting of 750 trees in river buffer zones and environmentally degraded areas within Windhoek’s informal settlements. In addition, two boreholes will be drilled to support groundwater recharge in the Windhoek aquifer, and a water resilience action plan has been developed.

Through the Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, the system aims to help protect important watersheds and to improve access to water and sanitation in local communities

This work forms part of the Coca-Cola system’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, launched in 2024. The initiative represents a nearly USD 25 million investment focused on helping address critical water-related challenges across 20 African countries by 2030.

“Because water challenges are local, our approach to water security is focused on local action and collaboration,” said Alfred Olajide, Vice President of East and Central Africa Operations at Coca‑Cola. “The Coca‑Cola system remains focused on helping to promote water stewardship, increasing water use efficiency, and treating and returning safe water to communities.”

Henry Friedrich, General Manager of Coca-Cola Namibia Bottling Company (CCNBC) added: “As part of the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa group, we have a responsibility to assist those who face water scarcity and to help protect local water resources where we operate, especially in places with the biggest challenges. Through the Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, the system aims to help protect important watersheds and to improve access to water and sanitation in local communities.”

WWF Namibia Country Director, Dr Juliane Zeidler, said: “Water is one of Namibia’s most precious and increasingly vulnerable resources. This project is an opportunity to demonstrate how investing in healthy ecosystems can deliver tangible benefits for people, while also helping communities become more resilient to future climate pressures. We hope the lessons and partnerships developed through this initiative can inform similar approaches elsewhere in the country.”

“Collaboration is essential to addressing shared water challenges effectively. Coca-Cola and its authorised bottlers continue to work with governments, businesses, and civil society organisations to design and implement strategic interventions,” concluded Olajide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.

 

 




 

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‘Power, Protect, Purchase’: Africa Made It unveils blueprint to capture USD 34B in GDP and accelerate African industrial sovereignty

Published

23 hours ago

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November 6, 2026

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Africa

Africa Practice research shows that Africa exports up to 98% of its raw cotton overseas and captures only 2% of its total value while incurring a USD 35 billion annual trade deficit

African culture, design, and storytelling influence global fashion, music, and media like never before

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa Made It (https://AfricaMadeIt.co/), the continental movement driving Africa’s industrial sovereignty, today officially launched its campaign, “Power, Protect and Purchase,” at the CANEX weekend in Lagos, Nigeria. Aimed at unlocking USD 34 billion in annual GDP contribution through a structural transition from unprocessed raw cotton exports to end-to-end local garment processing, the initiative seeks to turn Africa’s vast natural wealth into sovereign, self-sustaining economic power.

 




  

Africa Made It is driven by a consortium of leading pan-African organisations, advocacy groups, and media organisations who are positioning Africa as a global investment hub. Its flagship campaign, spotlighting the fibre-to-fashion value chain, presents a clear roadmap for continental industrialisation: securing competitive energy power for local industrial mills, enacting policy measures to protect emerging domestic manufacturers from unfair foreign imports, and rallying African consumers to purchase locally manufactured apparel. Together, these three pillars ensure that value created from African resources remains on African soil.

 

Africa Practice research shows that Africa exports up to 98% of its raw cotton overseas and captures only 2% of its total value while incurring a USD 35 billion annual trade deficit.  Building the continent’s domestic processing capacity in spinning, weaving, and sewing locally produced cotton will sustain nearly two million permanent industrial jobs and inject approximately USD 33 billion directly into domestic household incomes every year, in addition to a recurring contribution of USD 34 billion to the continent’s GDP.

 

While these figures reveal the immense macro-economic potential of the value chain, the true heart of this transformation lies in its human impact. Industrial wages and local lint purchases leading to increased capital circulation in rural communities can drive community micro-economic vitality and contribute to rural poverty reduction. Additionally, formal employment opportunities can expand drastically for women, as they currently make up between 70-90% of garment factory workers on the continent.

 

Realising this vision and changing the lives of millions of people requires a deliberate combination of targeted investments, supportive trade policies, and consumer mobilisation. A USD 1.8 billion capital allocation toward critical structural enablers for garment transformation is the foundation for bridging Africa’s missing middle in the fibre-to-fashion value chain.

 

Marie Wilke, editor-in-chief of the Africa Made It magazine, said, “African culture, design, and storytelling influence global fashion, music, and media like never before. Yet, without domestic manufacturing infrastructure, Africa’s creative authority yields very little economic return. Linking raw cotton harvest directly to local processing ensures that the intellectual property, commercial margins, and industrial jobs remain on the continent. It is time to wear our power.”

 

To learn more about the potential of Africa’s fibre to fashion value chain, watch the campaign video (https://apo-opa.co/4BKAIvY) or read the Africa Made it (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF)magazine (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF). Access the campaign website and resources in English (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF) and French (https://apo-opa.co/4zrK8e2).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Made It.

 

 




 

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