The AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) has today launched the Sudan SME Catalyser with an initial €12.5 million from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via KfW.
The programme seeks to support SMEs in Sudan that are relocating from areas of conflict to more stable parts of the country. SMEs form a dynamic and independent part of the economy in Sudan, yet many have suffered losses of capital, markets and sources of supplies. Amid these challenges, SMEs have demonstrated to be a remarkable source of resilience. They offer the potential to address the current crisis through improving the availability of much needed products and services, as well as providing income and employment to low-income households.
This programme will provide access to grant finance as well as business advisory support to help companies re-establish production and processing activities, re-tool their business processes and find new markets and new sources of supply. Funding will be available to companies in the areas of agriculture and renewable energy technologies and thus contribute to basic service delivery for the people of Sudan.
