Lomé: African Microfinance Week (SAM)

The next edition will take place in Lomé, Togo, from October 16 to 20, 2023 at the Centre International des Conférences (CIC) and Hôtel 2 février.

WHAT IS SAM?
SAM is African Microfinance Week, a major event dedicated to the development of financial inclusion in Africa, held every two years in a different African country.
SAM’s main ambition is to provide a unified African platform for exchanges on the challenges of inclusive finance on the African continent, by bringing together all professionals in the sector: investors, MFIs, researchers, banks, networks, innovators and governments among others.

SAM STRUCTURE
The SAM is structured over 5 days, each devoted to various events:

• a SAM conference: over 2 days on a specific topic of inclusive finance with speakers;
  and industry experts;
• an Investor Fair: 2 days to create partnerships between MFIs and investors. Investors have
  have the opportunity to organize 20-minute speed-dating sessions with MFIs that match their investment needs;
• an Innovators’ Village: 20 to 30 exhibitors present their innovative products and services to ASM participants (700 participants at last year’s event) over 2 days;
• training sessions and workshops: more than 20 training sessions and workshops in high demand in the microfinance sector take place throughout the week on a variety of themes: agricultural finance, digital finance, inclusive insurance, social performance… The theme of training sessions and workshops is based on demand from partners;
• a Gala Dinner with all ASM participants;
• a VIP Dinner with high-level representatives and/or political personalities, by invitation only;
  or an event at the request of a sponsor.

THE SAM CONFERENCE
Each edition of the SAM is devoted to a different theme, with the aim of opening up debate, sharing best practices and creative solutions to critical issues affecting the inclusive finance sector across the African continent. It is structured around :

• Plenary sessions, during which high-level speakers are invited to give their analysis of the
  the issue;
• Parallel sessions focusing on various topics such as rural areas, microinsurance, inclusive finance, and targeting women, youth, extremely poor clients, specific microfinance products, etc.

For further information: info@microfinance-afrique.org