COMESA Business Gurus Meet Tuesday to Discuss Role of SMEs
COMESA businessmen are converging today Tuesday 20th November 2012 in Kampala to discuss how to promote small and medium enterprises development in the region. The 8th business forum under the theme: ‘Enhancing Intra-COMESA Trade through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development; Seizing opportunities for Innovation and Prosperity in Business’ will take place at the Commonwealth Speke Resort Munyonyo.
About 900 delegates are expected to attend the forum, which will culminate into the leaders’ summit, where the heads of states from the 19 member states will endorse the proposals.
Hon Amelia Kyambadde, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, said micro, small and medium enterprises have a potential to spur economic development. “They take a leading role in poverty eradication, jobs and wealth-creation as well as improving the quality of life of the African people,” Ms Kyambadde who is the new chairperson of the Comesa Bureau said.
The chairman of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda Mr Gerald Sendaula said: “The Forum comes at a critical time when Africa has to focus on the development of Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs) for economic growth.”
SMEs play a key role in developing countries as they account for more than 90 percent of all firms outside the agricultural sector, they also constitute a major source of employment and generate significant domestic and export earnings.
A number of programmes aimed at addressing African Development have identified private sector development, and in particular SME development as a priority.
The two-day meeting will cover a wide range of issues mainly; intra-Africa trade, Africa’s business landscape, going green, the Euro-zone crisis, SMEs and competitiveness, agriculture and food security, financial markets and infrastructure development.
Also on the timetable will be discussions about the Innovation for wealth, tourism and business, youth and enterprise development and gender and business.
