DEVELOPMENT FINANCING

SME FINANCING
Dr JDG NHAVIRA
RATIONALE FOR SME FINANCING
 The need to finance the development and growth of
SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) economies has
been of concern to many policy makers for two main
reasons.
 First, for SSA to be able to compete effectively in the
increasingly globalized environment, its micro and
small enterprises should grow and transform into
thresholds where they will be able to adapt efficient
production techniques.
 Indeed, the SME sector within SSA has been referred
to as the ‘Missing Middle’ in the context of financial
inclusion or access to financial (including bank-ing)
services.
 SMEs are by their nature unable to provide the required
collateral that large firms have in obtaining formal
banking sector loans and at the same time too large to
benefit from micro-finance loans and forms of financial
supports chemes (Abor and Quartey, 2010; Quartey,
2002; Aryeetey,1998).
 Secondly, because the small-scale end of the
manufacturing sector is a cornerstone to employment
creation, micro, and small enterprises within that sector
should be seen to be growing into thresholds that
assure employment generation (by the adoption of
labor-intensive production), increased
incomes/earnings and, ultimately, poverty reduction
and economic prosperity.
 This is achievable once the needed finance is
available for investment to propel growth and
employment.