Ibrahima Thiam, Secretary of State for the Promotion and Development of SMEs, detailed the measures and strategies put in place to strengthen support for SMEs in Senegal, in response to concerns raised by several members of parliament during a plenary session at the National Assembly during the examination of the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Secretary of State recalled that, "for the first time, the government structure includes a ministry specifically dedicated to promoting SMEs. Since February 2025, the ministry has consulted all stakeholders in the SME ecosystem across the country in order to define a national strategy which is currently being submitted to the President of the Republic for approval."

Outlining the existing support mechanisms, he cited several non-financial programs that already assist businesses. These include, he said, ADPME (a business support and monitoring agency); ASPEX (export support and patent issuance agency); and ITA and the LANAC laboratory (support for product processing, research, and analysis). Other programs under different government ministries also provide support, notably BNDE, FONSIP, and ADER.

The strategic program aims to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs, "sub-champion" program: selection of local companies for targeted support to improve their competitiveness on the national and international market; protection of local companies: measures in accordance with WTO rules to protect the Senegalese industrial fabric; formalization of companies: objective of training 100,000 companies in 2026 by simplified accounting and formalization tools covering both administrative and accounting formalization.

The Secretary of State emphasized the importance of packaging for competitiveness. "Each economic hub will have infrastructure for packaging production and the provision of services related to sales and support for SMEs," he said.

Regarding access to financing, Ibrahima Thiam states that "the emphasis is on preparing businesses before accessing credit: formalization, governance, research and development. The BFCAO program plans to mobilize 3 trillion CFA francs by 2029 to strengthen access to financing for SMEs."

Another point highlighted by Mr. Thiam was the governance and reform of the SME status. "It is important to note the creation of the National SME Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, to coordinate and guide support policies and the planned reform of the SME status, enabling businesses to benefit from better state support."

The Secretary of State concluded by stressing that these measures aim to strengthen the competitiveness and formalization of Senegalese businesses, while consolidating their access to financial and non-financial services offered by the State.