Tunisia’s Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC) won, on Wednesday, the prestigious first prize in Africa for managing an important project to support startups and innovative SMEs in the category “SME Bank of the Year,” during the African Banker Awards ceremony held in Sharm Sheikh (Egypt), in the presence of over 300 leaders of the most important banks and economic actors on the Continent.
This competition, organized by the African Banker magazine on the fringes of the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings, is the most important competition in the banking sector on the African Continent.
The awards include among others: Banker of the year, bank of the year, sustainable bank of the year, DFI of the Year, Fintech of the Year and SME Bank of the Year.
CDC was shortlisted among 4 African banks, in the same category, representing South Africa, Tanzania, Senegal and Kenya.
“This trophy is a reward for the efforts exerted by the Caisse as part of “Innovative start-ups and SMEs” project, aimed at providing them with the necessary financing, notably those established in the interior regions and launched by women.
The objective is to guarantee the sustainability of their activity,” CDC Deputy Managing Director Najia Gharbi told TAP news agency during the award ceremony.
Financed by the World Bank, the $75m project aims to increase access to finance and support the growth of innovative startups and SMEs and at the same time boost economic and employment prospects for Tunisian youths, and to promote Tunisia as a technological destination.
