UNIDO Highlights Small and Medium Enterprise Support Success Stories at Strategic Retreat in Durban
Durban, June 2024 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) participated at the 12th Industry Stakeholders Strategic Retreat, organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the SADC Secretariat . The event witnessed the presentation of best practices and impactful results from the EU-funded West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP - Ghana) and the ProFishBlue project. These initiatives are pivotal in enhancing competitiveness, quality improvement, and market access in Africa.
Highlights from the WACOMP - Ghana programme revealed significant support provided to over 45,000 MSMEs, with a remarkable 67% being women entrepreneurs. These MSMEs were empowered to enhance competencies, comply with standards, and access external funding through linkages with financial institutions. On the other hand, the ProFishBlue project showcased successful completion of trade analysis, evaluation of One Stop Border Post interventions, and mapping of quality infrastructure in targeted Southern Africa fish trade corridors.
Experts from UNIDO emphasized the role of standards, quality, and cluster development in promoting MSMEs' competitiveness, value addition, and export diversification. Matilda Muweme, Senior Programme Officer at UNIDO, reiterated the commitment to sustainable industrial development in Africa, emphasizing the significance of competitive SMEs and value chains in driving trade, growth, and regional integration.
In line with the AU SME Strategy and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), UNIDO's strategy for Africa aligns with the AU 2063 Agenda to accelerate industrial development on the continent. Alejandro Rivera-Rojas underscored UNIDO's extensive 40+ years of experience in standards and quality, showcasing initiatives that contribute to the AU Niamey Action Plan. He emphasized the value of the UNIDO QI4SD Index in measuring Quality Infrastructure's readiness and contribution to the SDGs, serving as a monitoring tool for AU Quality Policy implementation.
Overall, the retreat underscored the collaborative efforts towards fostering industrial development, sustainability, and economic growth across Africa.
For more information, please contact:
Alejandro Rivera-Rojas,
UNIDO Industrial Development Officer
a.rivera-rojas [at] unido.org (Email)
Ebe Muschialli,
UNIDO Industrial Development Expert
e.muschialli [at] unido.org (Email)
