Promoting the private sector and employment

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A key challenge facing Sudan is the enormous barriers to access to resources that would provide economic opportunities for the population. This restrictive, network-based access to credit for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represents a major obstacle to economic growth, job creation and improving the supply situation, and reinforces the unequal distribution of resources in Sudan. The project therefore specifically promotes small and medium-sized independent enterprises (SME Catalyser). The sponsor and partner is the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF). The SME Catalyser will use a competitive process to select small and medium-sized politically independent enterprises and support them with investment grants and accompanying advisory services - with the aim of creating jobs and improving the supply situation with products and services. In addition, the focus on independent companies that previously had no or only limited access to credit is intended to contribute to a fairer distribution of resources. The target group are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have growth potential and have previously had no access to credit. Women-led companies in particular are to be supported. The priority sectors are agriculture, renewable energy and information technology, which were selected due to their high potential to create jobs, develop innovations in the form of new products and services and their overall high reach. In addition to the investment grants, the AECF will offer consulting services before and after the company investment. The pre-investment consulting is intended to strengthen the implementation capacities of the supported companies, e.g. through process improvement, introduction of environmental and social management or strengthening inclusion.