We offer you the message of the Minister of Industrial Development, Trade, Handicrafts and Small and Medium Enterprises, Serge Gnaniodem PODA, on the occasion of the World Day of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (JM-MPME), celebrated on June 27 each year.
Established by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization (UN), on April 06, 2017, the World Day of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (WD-MSME) is celebrated on June 27 of each year.
The main objective of this day is to sensitize public opinion on the importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on the one hand and on the other hand, to constitute a forum for reflection on the challenges to be met and the growth prospects of MSMEs.
It is an opportunity to recognize the impact of MSMEs and to celebrate the women and men who create and lead them.
MSMEs are par excellence one of the pillars of the more inclusive and sustainable economic development of our economies. Their contribution is very appreciable in the development and transformation of local raw materials, through the creation of the added value necessary for better positioning on national and international markets.
In Burkina Faso, MSMEs constitute more than 90% of the economic fabric with a contribution to the formation of GDP of around 40%. Also, as in the majority of countries in the world, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are in the front line for improving the living conditions of populations and constitute a safety net in terms of inclusion.
It is in view of the importance of the contribution of these MSMEs to the sustainable socio-economic development of Burkina Faso that they have been at the heart of the Government’s action for several decades.
This is why Burkina Faso’s 2021-2025 National Development Plan, which was readjusted in favor of the advent of the transition to a Stabilization and Development Action Plan (PASD), reaffirms the role of MSMEs in the structural transformation of the economy and the urgent need to support their resilience in the context that is ours.
This observation justifies the theme chosen this year for the celebration of MSMEs in Burkina Faso and which focuses on: “Transformation of local economies: role and resilience strategies of Burkinabè SMEs in a context of security and economic crises. »
Indeed, in recent years, SMEs have faced multiple crises, particularly security and economic. These crises of international and national origins have caused many difficulties for SMEs; forcing them to develop initiatives to strengthen their resilience capacities.
This is why the reflections that will be carried out around the theme will allow public and private actors and development partners to share the actions carried out in favor of the resilience of SMEs at the local level in the current context of national and international crises, to present models of resilience, the challenges for a better contribution of SMEs to the development of local economies.
The day will therefore be used to reflect on the constraints faced by the actors and to make concrete proposals for a better contribution of SMEs to our local economies.
Strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of these businesses requires access to physical infrastructure and guaranteeing their quality, improving the quality of products and services, improving access to financing, strengthening skills of SMEs in financial management, the promotion of cooperation between companies in order to equip them with better capacities to innovate.
Since the capacity for innovation is closely linked, among other things, to the development of technological capacities, competitive intelligence through the judicious use of information technologies, the Government is resolutely committed to this dynamic of building the capacities of SMEs in these areas.
I hope that the activities organized on June 26 and 27 by my department for the 2023 edition of the JM-MPME through a pitch competition for the selection of innovative projects to be financed, the sharing of experiences and good practices, exhibitions, thematic conferences and honorary distinctions make it possible to sustainably strengthen the skills and competitiveness of our MSMEs with a view to their professionalization and sustained growth.
Long live the promoters of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises!
Happy World MSME Day celebration to all!
God bless Burkina Faso!
Ouagadougou, June 27, 2023
Serge Gnaniodem PODA
Minister of Industrial Development, Trade, Handicrafts and Small and Medium Enterprises
