The Impact of Covid-19 on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Southern Africa: Country Experiences and a Focus on Building Back better in Mauritius
Date: 8 February 2022
Venue: Hybrid & Sofitel The Obelisk, Dubai, Dubai Expo 2020
Time: 0900-1700 UAE time, 0700-1500 SAT, GMT+4;
Organizers: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council, the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives of Mauritius
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council and the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives of Mauritius, in a spirit of fostering the achievement of SDG 9 “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” are jointly organizing a one-day regional seminar to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the theme: “Impact of Covid-19 on Micro-small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Southern Africa: country experiences, with a focus on building back better in Mauritius”. The event will be held on 8 February 2022 at the margin of the Dubai Expo 2020 in a hybrid format to accommodate travel restrictions to Dubai. The event serves as a follow-up to the two seminars held by SRO-SA and the SADC Business Council at the SADC Industrialisation Week in Lilongwe, Malawi in November that focused on strengthening competitiveness among MSMEs in Southern Africa.
The seminar is a planned deliverable under Phase 3 of the United Nations Development Account 13th tranche project “Global Initiative towards post Covid-19 resurgence of the MSME sector” or “Global MSME Surge” project. The overall objective of the project is to develop and implement capacity building tools for governments and MSMEs to facilitate resurgence and strengthen resilience of MSMEs in developing countries and economies in transition to mitigate the economic and social impact of the global Covid-19 crisis and to facilitate MSMEs contribution to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG9. The project brings together the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) including the UN regional commissions for Africa (ECA), Europe (ECE), Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Arab region (ESCWA) with funding provided by the UN Development Account.