Multinational - Africa SME Program - Inclusive Growth and Job Creation FAPA - Technical Assistance Request

This project seeks USD 3.98 mln from FAPA resources to provide Technical Assistance (TA) and capacity building to up to 25 smaller SME focused financial institutions (FIs), operating in Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in all of the 5 regions of Africa, in particular Low Income Countries and Fragile States. The overall AfDB’s Africa SME support Program (ASME or “the Program”) has a funding component and a TA component. The TA component provides technical support to strengthen and capacitate the FIs to improve operational efficiencies (in areas such as credit assessment, risk management, MIS, etc) to better support SMEs. The funding component extends medium to long term loans of USD 125 mln in total to approximately 25 SME focused FIs. This TA component is also linked to EPSA (Enhanced Private Sector Assistance) and thus will be a strategic collaboration between AfDB and the Government of Japan. The TA component enhances the effect of the funding component to maximize the potential impact on private sector development in Africa. The overall TA Component will be divided into five separate sub-components as follows: (i) Project planning and preparation, procurement of consultants; (ii) Needs Assessment, drafting of ToRs; (iii) Capacity Building of FIs (including training, operational policies strengthening, ESMS review, etc); (iv) TA Program Management, Monitoring and Quality Assurance; (v) Program Communication and Publicity Activities.