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Ph:DR: ECA partners with SADC Business Council on Technology and Innovation for MSMEs in Southern Africa
The Economic Commission for Africa Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-AA/ECA), in collaboration with the SADC Business Council, held a three-day regional meeting on technology and l innovation for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Southern Africa. The meeting was preceded by a presentation on TechniAfrica, a technology and innovation platform that is set up to build the capacity of MSMEs to innovate through learning and collaboration.
Both events stimulated discussions among key stakeholders on the role of technology and innovation for MSMEs and assessed key gaps in innovation ecosystems. Participants reflected on key policy issues that need to be reformed to better support MSMEs and exchanged information and shared best practices.
In her opening remarks, Nomvula Makgotlho, Acting Deputy Director General, Department of Small Business Development, Republic of South Africa, highlighted the importance of MSMEs as drivers of innovation in Technologies information and communication technology (ICT) and noted that “MSMEs are an essential part of the broader agenda on science, technology and innovation and, by extension, an integral part of the ecosystem . It is therefore in the interest of governments and the public sector to encourage and facilitate a strong STI ecosystem in which MSMEs play a role. Lack of investment in MSME start-ups would be a lost opportunity for any developing country”.
Isatou Gaye, Head of Sub-Regional Initiatives, for his part stressed that as the region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic “there is a need to reinvent and innovate in the fields of energy, health, agriculture and above all new business models and products to drive prosperity, support economic transformation in the region and get back on track to achieve inclusive and sustainable development”.
Peter Varndell, Chief Executive Officer of the SADC Business Council, a regional umbrella body of national business associations and corporate bodies from the 16 Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gave a presentation on technology and innovation and collaborative efforts with ECA
“We are a strong and reliable support system for businesses in the region and aim to promote information sharing across SADC and bring private sector expertise into policy-making processes,” he said. -he declares.
To better understand the MSME innovation ecosystem in Southern Africa, case studies were presented in selected countries on the state of technology and innovation for MSMEs and how they are leveraging innovative approaches to participate in value chains and trade. These expert presentations were complemented by factual investigations by ECA on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine on MSMEs in Southern Africa; these surveys were conducted in the 11 BSR-AA/ECA Member States, namely Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Bineswaree Bolaky, Project Coordinator and Economic Affairs Officer at ECA, stressed that to meet the challenge of MSMEs’ access to finance, the next step is to “think outside the box and take concrete steps to connect market solutions and leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement” to access markets across borders. The sustainability of MSMEs depends on their ability to compete in national, regional, continental and global markets”.
The meeting brought together high-level representatives from ministries and agencies in charge of
MSMEs and technology and innovation managers in the eleven Member States served by SRO-AA/ECA. Also present were the Chief Executives of National Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other senior representatives of national business associations, members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), SADC, the Business Council of COMESA and SADC Business Council and other relevant stakeholders.
About ECA
Created in 1958 by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, ECA is one of the five regional commissions of the Institution and has the mandate to support the economic and social development of its member States, to encourage regional integration and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. Comprised of 54 member states, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) plays a dual role as a regional body of the United Nations (UN) and as an integral part of the regional institutional landscape in Africa.
