Slated for 6 months, the support plan aims to promote access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to state subsidies. It primarily targets agricultural producers, the hotel and catering chain and manufacturers of anti-Covid-19 solutions.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the national private sector already weakened by the economic and financial crisis. The government is trying, through the Business Development and Competitiveness Support Project (Padec), to create a window of opportunity for cooperative societies, economic interest groups on the Pointe-Noire-Brazzaville-Ouesso corridor with potential for growth.
According to the head of mission of the SME Development Support Fund, Abdel Kader Bawa, companies whose activity is essential during the confinement period, companies carrying structuring development projects, are eligible for this support. in activity for at least two years and registered in the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register and the National Handicrafts Agency, have demonstrated the cause and effect link between financial issues and the Covid-19 pandemic, have a bank account.
The contingency plan and support for the resilience of SMEs targets agricultural production activities (market gardening, plants, animals, fisheries); the processing of staple foods, namely cassava, peanut paste and similar products, smoked, dried and salted fish, fruit juice and market garden products; milky products, spices; local production of livestock inputs; the central purchasing and distribution of local or imported products; freight transport logistics services; the cold chain for fishery products; local production of machine tools.
To this end, an established selection committee makes the choice based on the business diagnosis; analysis of the business recovery plan and the operating account and cash flow plan submitted by the business. Beneficiaries can receive grants of up to 11 million FCFA. These subsidies qualify for the reconstitution of stocks of raw materials, goods, production. On the other hand, the payment of rents, salaries and other operating expenses are not eligible.
