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At the service for small and medium businesses

Interview with AIcha A. Pouye,

Director, Division of Business and Institutional

Support International Trade Centre

My passion, Ms Pouye wildest imagination that one
says, is to serve small day I would to be requested to
and medium businesses, be at the service of my coun-
and she has indeed done try. I had no knowledge of
so both in her own public administration apart
country (Senegal) an from paying my taxes. So, all
now at an internationa. of a sudden my life took ano-
level. We had the oppor- ther direction for four years,
tunity to meet with her in which was an extremely inter-
Geneva, and we were esting period. I had this priva-
impressed by her com- te sector hat and I used to say:
mitment to making a "I'm here only for a short per-
difference in the area of iod of time because I'm a pure
trade -- in particular for product of the private sector."
small and medium enter- I told myself that I had a mis-
prises (SMEs). She looks sion to carry out. How does
young (sic!), dynamic, one carry out this mission
smart and modest, so when you come from the pri-
now we leave the floor to vate sector but are now invol-
Ms Pouye ved with the public sector
with its ways of working and
Q: Could you tell us a heavy procedures? Finally, it
little bit about your back- turned out very well thanks to
ground and who you a teamwork spirit.
are?
Secondly, I listened very
I'm a pure product of the much to the people I worked
private sector. I studied in with in the Ministry and also
France, at the University of to those in the private sector in
Paris-Dauphine, a university We began with a new trade- were looking for new talent order to better understand
oriented department targeting coming from the private sec-
specialized in management their concerns, their needs and
specifically SMEs so as to tor. It was a fund that needed
and finance. Then I returned what they expected from me.
better assist them in optimi- some restructuring -- it took a
home to Senegal to join an In other words, the private
zing their cash management year to restore the fund's cre-
audit firm -- it was very sector was my shadow cabi-
flows. It was very interesting dibility, repair its image and
important for me to have a net. For the first time the
good experience in business because, after two to three restructure the organization. It country had a Minister for
years of activity, we generated went very well and it cor-
administration. After six years Small and Medium sized
about 52% of the bank's reve- responded to my passion -- the
I joined the finance world -- Enterprises. I think that a very
nues. It was a niche that had same spirit and the same ener-
the CitiBank, where I spent strong complicity emerged
not been exploited. It was a gy for serving SME. This
ten years. In the beginning I with the private sector, this
pure coincidence, but oppor- must have impressed
was head of the financial gave us a chance to develop,
tune coincidence. Senegalese authorities since
control department. At a at an early stage, the strategy
there were some changes in
certain point in my career I and a roadmap for the
After seventeen years the Government and I was
felt a need to do something Ministry. It was based on four
working in the private sector, I asked to join the Ministry for
different. I moved to the main pillars.
marketing department where I was asked to manage a fund Small and Medium sized
set up by the Government of Enterprises and Commerce. I
was in charge of a very impor- The first one was building the
Senegal and the African had never done politics and
tant challenge: -- the challen- capacity of SMEs: It was
Development Bank aimed at did not have a political agen-
ge of fmding way to work in a important to bridge the gap of
funding SMEs. It was called da. Strangely enough, I was
new economic segment: international competitiveness
the Fond de promotion écono- the chosen one. Even if I had
SMEs. I started a new depart- for SMEs in order to reach the
mique (FPE). First, we under- voted for President Wade and
ment from scratch and it was next level. I went knocking on
really exciting: I had a small went the political changes that for the political changes donor's door and we managed
took place in Senegal in 2000 taking place, it had never cros-
but very enthusiastic team. to get 11.9 million Euros from
and the Senegalese authorities sed my mind or entered my
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