Two weeks after being unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron and the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian, the French initiative Choose Africa was presented in Dakar by the Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire. Through Choose Africa, the AFD Group will commit 2.5 billion euros to accelerate the growth of start-ups and MSMEs in Africa by 2022.
Supported by the French government and implemented by the AFD Group, the French initiative Choose Africa was launched in Dakar, Senegal, on March 29th, 2019. Over its lifespan, Choose Africa will support close to 10,000 companies.
In Dakar, the French and Senegalese Ministers of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire and Amadou Ba, AFD’s CEO Rémy Rioux and Proparco’s Deputy Director General Alexandre Pointier detailed the initiative’s objectives and tools, highlighting its relevance for Senegalese and West African businesses.
Close to 300 people attended the event among which:
- many AFD Group partners participating in entrepreneurship promotion programs (such as ADEPME, TEKKI FII, Jokkolabs, etc.),
- financial institutions that have used Proparco’s loans or guarantees to finance SMEs in Africa,
- start-ups benefiting from programs implemented by the AFD Group, such as Digital Africa or the Social & Inclusive Business Camp,
- representatives of Senegalese professional organizations.