𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 !

The war in Iran has added to the difficulties of our SMEs, already burdened by rising labour costs, electricity bills and bank charges, coupled with high interest rates, a severe shortage of foreign currency and increased competition from dumping and imports .

Now ,they are facing a “logistics shock” that is impacting global supply chains, increasing energy prices, and challenging the financial stability of our SMEs.

While many responsible governments are already implementing support measures to their struggling SMEs, here we are having to witness the sorry state of a meek President of the SME Chamber lamenting on the lack of response from the authorities and begging for help from the Ministry of Finance “pou nou accorder un soutien dans les plus brefs délais” (sic)

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝑴𝑬 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑺𝑴𝑬𝒔, like in other more proactive countries namely,

𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞: A $1 billion support package was announced on April 7, 2026, including higher corporate income tax rebates (raised from 40% to 50% for 2026) to manage increased energy and logistics costs. A dedicated Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee has been formed to ensure supply chain stability for firms.

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚: The government is proactively formulating relief measures, including reducing import duties and providing financial support for export-related shipping costs for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) to combat rising costs.

𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐲: Due to its close trade ties with the region and susceptibility to currency volatility, the central bank has taken steps to stabilize financial markets, which directly impacts local SMEs.

𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 & 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: As logistical hubs and trading partners reliant on imports, nations in East Africa are exploring coordinated fuel procurement and emergency support, as supply chain disruptions affect agricultural and small business inputs.

𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭 & 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧: Considered highly vulnerable, these nations are grappling with rising fuel prices and potential disruption in investment, requiring government intervention to prevent SMEs from collapsing, according to UN/IMF assessments.

Pakistan: Due to its high dependence on energy imports through the affected region, Pakistan is experiencing economic strain that necessitates protective measures for small businesses.

𝐒𝐮𝐛-𝐒𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: While also affected by price shocks, countries in this region are increasingly utilizing blended finance and technical assistance to support SMEs that face capital constraints.

You can’t expect much from our Minister of the Ministry of Industry, SME and Cooperatives ,he must be busy catching fish !