ICD Highlighted The Role Of SMEs As Engine Of Growth And Sustainable Development During The 43rd Annual Meeting Of IsDB Group

Tunis, April 3, 2018 – ICD held interactive sessions during the IsDB group private sector forum, while the group was organizing its 43rd Annual Meeting in the Four Seasons Hotel. The event entitled “The SMEs: engine of growth and sustainable development”, raised awareness with regard to ICD’s contribution in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and explored the IDB Group’s various interventions with regard to Entrepreneurship, Startups and Innovative SMEs. ICD also informed developmental partners on practices and tools to be used for designing SME resilience support programs. It also discussed the importance of SME Funds and ICD’s interventions in Private Equity and Mezzanine Financings under the SME Funds Program to help strengthen SMEs in member countries. ICD organized three sessions. The first session focused on the IDB Group’s contributions in supporting the growth of innovative SMEs, the second session discussed the challenges and needs of SMEs in fragile and conflict settings and the third session reviewed the role of SME Funds in developing economies. The event witnessed remarkable interventions from leading figures in the finance industry commencing from H.E. Slim Feriani, Minister of Industry and SMEs in Tunisia, IsDB Group president H.E. Badar Al-Hajjar and ICD acting CEO Mohammed Al-Ammari.