Senegal -Economie / Financial institutions undertake to raise 1000 billion FCFA to participate in the development of SMEs / SMIs – Senegalese press agency

Dakar, Feb 4 (APS) – financial institutions were committed on Tuesday as part of a massive and secure financing pact, to raise 1000 billion FCFA intended for the development of small and medium -sized enterprises and small and medium and medium industries ( SME/PMI).
They displayed this ambition during a preparatory meeting at 4th SME Forum scheduled from February 18 to 20, 2025.
The meeting brought together the State Secretariat for the Development of SMEs-PMIs, the Development and Supervisory Agency for Small and Middle Enterprises (Adepme), the structures of the public administration concerned and financial institutions.
” Access to financing is one of the major issues that slows down the development of SMEs and SMIs; Besides, this is what motivated the formulation of the program for the massive and secure financing of SMEs and SMIs which aims, among other things, to increase the financing granted by the financial institutions to these actors, ” said Ibrahima Thiam Minister Secretary state to the development of SMEs-PMIs.
He said this fund went from 600 billion FCFA in 2024 to 3000 billion in 2028, through the implementation of 9 reforms.
” I am convinced that this objective of 3000 billion FCFA can be achieved; It is within this framework that the financing pact of 1000 billion FCFA must be invested that we want to sign with you and which represent a third of our objective ”, he said to the financial institutions.
For better support and development of these SMEs/SMIs, Mr. Thiam argued that the banking sector is “arrested in the foreground”.
“But we especially want to invite the signatories and all the parties to respect the commitments taken out and to guarantee the effectiveness so that the 1000 billion FCFA are completely disbursed for the benefit of SMEs and SMIs ”, noted the Minister Secretary of ‘State for the development of SMEs-PMIs.
Ibrahima Thiam has informed that twenty local banks have been grouped together and she “undertake” to support this massive financing program.
“We have to start moving the lines and change our approach to have concrete results regarding this major problem of financing for SMEs-PMI ”, said Marie Rose Faye General director of the Adepme.
She explained that the idea is to “bring together” all the stakeholders that are the State, the support structures, but also the financial institutions to mobilize ” of the financing typologies ” via the window unique funding.
Ms. Faye stressed that the single financing window is a platform that will allow “standardize” the approach and support as part of this program.
The Director General of the Adepma said that this program has been materialized since 2022 but that her culmination comes following ” Several consultations ”, in particular on the credit which brought together all the stakeholders.
“We shared our commitments to the Minister of State, to the director of the Adepme to say that we really have an ambition to accompany the financing of the PMI ”, argued Aissatou Thiam Diakhaté, Director of the commercial bank of Ecobank Senegal. She was expressed on behalf of the financial institutions invited to this preparatory meeting.
Ms. Diakhaté assured that Ecobank Senegal will participate in this fundraising up to 100 million FCFA.
“Today, the financing of SMEs is a key element in this development process and the question of financing should be carried by all the players in the financial ecosystem ”, she said.
MFD/OID