Beyond the Known

Building on the success of the first edition of the practitioners’ exchange hold in 2019 in Berlin, ILO, BMZ/GIZ, EBRD, IFC, Swisscontact and Argidius Foundation would like to invite you to the second edition of the Beyond the Known conference, which will be held online on 26 - 27 - 28 October 2021 (from 10h to 13h, CET time). The conference aims at bringing together a diverse range of practitioners in the field of entrepreneurship and MSME promotion to foster a global community of practice and to facilitate exchange and peer learning on the latest developments and on the effective solutions that are being piloted in this domain. 

On the first day, the BTK conference will see the participation of keynote speakers from the entrepreneurial domain including David Mackenzie (World Bank Lead Economist), Irene Ochem (CEO/ Founder of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), and Bagoré Bathily (Entrepreneur and owner of “La Laiterie du Berger”). The talk show panel with these speakers will be moderated by Parminder Vir (Co-founder of Support4AfricaSMEs).

The two following days will be dedicated to tested and successful solutions in entrepreneurship promotion and MSME development. These solutions will respond to the challenges and opportunities on three main tracks (or topics) identified by the organizers:

Track 1: Achieving Dynamic and Resilient Entrepreneurial Ecosystems 

This track aims to: showcase different ways productive entrepreneurial communities have grown; show participants that ecosystems are everywhere, even if they are at an early stage; and spark ideas and connections for participants to nurture ecosystems that enable entrepreneurs to succeed and generate employment. 

Track 2: Accelerating MSME access to financial services through new technologies and skills development program 

This track aims to: showcase best practices regarding effective combinations of financial and NFS or business development support services; reflect on the role of new technologies and tools in this domain, and debate on local skills and training-support programs needed in emerging markets. 

Track 3: Challenging inclusiveness and environmental sustainability in entrepreneurship promotion 

This track aims to: critically reflect on different ways of doing entrepreneurship promotion to achieve more concrete impacts on equality and environmental sustainability. If we keep promoting entrepreneurship the way it is being done, aren't we contributing to the depletion of natural resources and to an unequal society? 

Participation in the event is free, please register here! Please note that registration is essential to access the online platform where the event will take place.