AAASME inaugurates Continental Advisory Council

The All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (AAASME) has inaugurated its Continental Advisory Council, with Mr. Richard Muteti as Chairman.

Other members of the leadership include Dr. Abdulrashid Yerima as Vice Chairman, Dr. Kurauone Venancio as Secretary, and Mr. William Mwale as Assistant Secretary.

In a statement, the President of AAASME, Dr. Ebiekure Jasper Eradiri, said the leadership of the advisory body is vital for smooth coordination, especially between the apex leaders of national SME associations across Africa, with a view to harmonising positions with the AAASME Executive Committee for the overall benefit of Africa’s SME ecosystem.

He congratulated the newly inaugurated Chairman, Mr. Richard Muteti, who represents Kenya on the council, and wished the council fruitful deliberations. He said he looked forward to integrating its recommendations into the AAASME matrix and dashboard for implementation as part of the organisation’s activity playbook for the remaining half of 2026.

Furthermore, he commended the leadership of the continent’s apex SME organisations and called on them to mobilise 125 million SMEs across Africa to join the #UbuntuSusu Continental SME Billion Fund, which he said would catalyse economic growth and accelerate the prosperity envisioned under Aspiration 1 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

He added that hope remains alive for Africa’s SME economic revolution under an Afrocentric financial concept, which he described as “African solutions to African problems.”

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He also reaffirmed AAASME’s commitment to supporting Africa’s integration, the AU Agenda 2063, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He further called on the African Union, the United Nations, and the South African Government to address the rising cases of xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks on African migrants and their businesses.