ADA at the ANDE Pan Africa Conference: Advancing Inclusive Entrepreneurship

From 11-13 February, ADA participated in the ANDE's (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs) Pan Africa Conference, a key gathering dedicated to catalysing inclusive entrepreneurship across the continent. Our sponsorship and participation in the event reinforced our commitment to supporting small and growing businesses, including youth-led enterprises in Francophone Africa, by promoting access to finance, capacity building and innovation ADA at the ANDE Pan Africa Conference: Advancing Inclusive Entrepreneurship.

Key takeaways

The conference reaffirmed the critical role of small and growing businesses in Africa’s economic development. Despite their significant contribution to job creation and economic activity, many entrepreneurs face barriers to accessing finance and essential business support.

Participants identified the following pathways to overcoming these barriers:

• Improving entrepreneurship support

Strengthening entrepreneurship support structures and refining business segmentation are essential to providing more tailored and effective support.

• Tailoring financial products to enterprise maturity

Entrepreneurs face significant challenges in accessing financing, particularly in the early stages. Financial products should be flexible and tailored to their specific needs.

• Bridging investment gaps

Investment funds in Africa often focus on large, mature companies, leaving smaller businesses underserved. Emerging local impact funds that offer small-scale investments could help fill this gap.

• Fostering an enabling environment for business growth

National authorities should support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through measures such as simplifying formalisation procedures, reducing import/export formalities, and offering tax incentives.

Harnessing the power of digital tools

One of ADA’s key contributions was a breakout session on Inclusive Finance for Small and Growing Businesses: Harnessing the Power of Digital Tools, co-hosted with Somo Africa and Youth Business International. The session explored how digital solutions can enhance financial management and improve financing access for entrepreneurs.

Discussions focused on the importance of user-friendly digital tools tailored to business owners’ needs, the factors influencing entrepreneurs’ adoption of these solutions, and the role of partnerships in expanding financial inclusion across Africa.

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Our partner, Oze, showcased its digital platform, which helps small businesses streamline bookkeeping, invoicing, and inventory tracking. The session highlighted how collaborations between financial institutions and fintech innovators can transform such tools into real enablers of financial access.

Our partners in the spotlight

ADA was also proud to see some of its partners featured at the Made in Africa Exhibition.

For example, our partner Proxy Emobility is pioneering the rollout of electric motorcycles on a pay-as-you-go basis, offering a sustainable transport solution while fostering economic opportunities. With ADA’s support, this initiative is not only promoting green mobility but also creating jobs for young people in the delivery and transport sectors. Additionally, it is empowering women entrepreneurs by enabling them to manage recharging stations, contributing to a more inclusive and environmentally friendly business ecosystem.

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Outlook

Looking ahead, ADA is reaffirming its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and supporting small and growing businesses with the launch of the Young People and Green Jobs Programme. This initiative aims to facilitate direct and indirect job creation for young people by supporting SMEs that offer environmentally positive products or services or seek to reduce the environmental footprint of their operations.

The programme aims to enable high-growth-potential SMEs to build resilient, environmentally responsible businesses while contributing to economic development along their entire value chain.