Govt support, effective policies key for SMEs growth

Doha: New research by Mastercard has highlighted the important role of government support in helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) to recover, position for growth, and contribute to economic prosperity. 

In the inaugural Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index, government support and implementation of effective policies was highlighted as ‘important’ by 88 percent of the region’s SMEs, 50 percent of which rated this point as a ‘must-have’ essential.  This sentiment was especially pronounced in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) (92 percent) and Sub-Saharan Africa (90 percent) regions.