United Arab Emirates, 8 February 2022 (ECA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council and the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives of Mauritius, jointly organized a one-day regional seminar in Dubai on 8 February 2022 at the margins of the Dubai Expo 2020 under the theme: “Impact of Covid-19 on Micro-small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Southern Africa: country experiences, with a focus on building back better in Mauritius”.
The event served as a follow-up to the two seminars held by SRO-SA and the SADC Business Council at the SADC Industrialisation Week in Lilongwe, Malawi last November that focused on strengthening competitiveness among MSMEs in Southern Africa.
In his keynote address Honourable Soomilduth Bholah, the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives of Mauritius expressed his deep appreciation to ECA SRO-SA for the partnership with his ministry in hosting the event.
The Minister noted that COVID-19 had accelerated the pace of technological transformation, including the adoption of technologies associated with Industrial revolution 4.0. such as soft robotics, Artificial Intelligence, 3D Printing and the Internet of Things.
“Today we are living in a changed, complex and uncertain world. A world that has brought to the forefront our fragility and vulnerability. One of the key lessons that we have learned is that we need to continuously adapt to be able to survive” the Minister observed.
Hon. Bholah said that Mauritius has been able to attract investors in high-end activities owing, mainly, to its attractive value proposition characterised by its socio-political and economic stability, propitious business environment as well as the availability of versatile and skilled manpower.
In her opening remarks, Eunice G. Kamwendo, Director, ECA Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa said that despite the impact of COvid-19 in the region, the pandemic has spurred uptake of technological interventions by businesses and individuals.
She stated that the adopted information and communications technologies (ICT) are contributing to the development of small businesses. “There has been a marked increase in the use of digital tools across the sub-region propelled by Covid-19. This is a win for MSMEs as the digital technologies offer a possibility of reaching larger platforms, networks and clients”, she emphasized.
Ms Kamwendo further cited Namibia, Mauritius and South Africa where most businesses have increased their digital usage beyond 70 per cent in marketing, communication, payment systems and supply chain management.
Speaking virtually at the same event, Mr Peter Varndell, Chief Executive Officer, SADC Business Council said that the SADC Business Council works closely with the SADC Secretariat, National and Regional sector bodies, governments, regional economic communities, multilateral groups, and the business community to improve the region’s trade and investment climate. It provides custom-tailored services that are driven by both industry and enterprise interests.
Mr Varndell further cited factors hindering the growth of MSMEs and survival which include uncoordinated structures to pool MSMEs together, regulatory frameworks and administrative barriers which result in additional costs for running small businesses.
He further informed the meeting that ECA SRO SA is supporting the SADC Business Council to develop an MSME technology, platform-Techni Africa.
“The platform is fully funded by ECA SRO-SA and will be hosted on the SADC BC website upon completion. The objective of Techni Africa is to give MSMEs access to information on the range of available technologies that can be deployed to help them adjust to the effects of Covid-19” he added.
In his statement Pierre Fallavier, Senior Development Coordination Adviser, from the UN Resident Coordinator Office of Mauritius and Seychelles, noted that from before the beginning of the pandemic, the United Nations has put its global knowledge and outreach to full use.
He emphasised the importance of the seminar and noted that the global and regional level exchanges are essential to understand the impacts of the crisis and to help design strategic interventions. “They also go a long way in developing regional platforms to facilitate exchange, cooperation, and training, resulting in empowering national players”, he said.
The seminar, a deliverable under the Global MSME Surge Project of the United Nations, included a morning session focused on discussing the impact of Covid-19 on MSMEs and was moderated by Ms Bineswaree Bolaky, Economic Affairs Officer of ECA SRO-SA. She observed that there have been common challenges across MSMEs in the Southern African region and that a coordinated integrated approach towards MSME development in the region should be considered including the formation of a working Group on MSMEs under the aegis of the SADC Business Council.
The afternoon session focused on enhancing the resilience of the manufacturing sector in Mauritius and consisted of a high-level panel composed of senior representatives from the public and private sectors in Mauritius, namely Mr. Rishi Domun from the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives; Mr Geerish Bucktowonsing, Director, Economic Development Board; Ms Deveena Boygah, Director, Mauritius Standards Bureau; Mr. Yousouf Ismael, Secretary General, Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mr Bruno Dubarry, CEO, Association of Mauritian Manufacturers and Mr Francis Mangeni, Head at the AfCFTA Secretariat. One key recommendation was to support MSMEs in Mauritius to tap into the opportunities to be unleashed by the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Issued by:
The Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
P.O. Box 30647, Lusaka, Zambia.
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