SESRIC organised a Workshop on “Designing Implementation Strategies for Innovative SME Financing Support Mechanisms” on 16-17 September 2026 at its headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye, within the framework of the SESRIC Project on “Empowering SME Development Agencies with Innovative Financing Solutions under the OIC-SMENET Framework.”
The project was co-funded under the 13th Call for Project Proposals of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) Project Funding, and kicked off with a Training Course on “Building Institutional Capacity for Innovative SME Financing Models”, organised virtually on 28-29 July 2026.
The workshop brought together a total of 21 participants, comprising representatives from relevant ministries and SME development agencies of the project partner countries, namely, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Senegal, and the Republic of Türkiye. Representatives from Istanbul University, INCEIF University, KFK – Participation Finance Surety, and Tamwilcom also contributed to the programme as guest speakers and facilitators.
The workshop aimed to enable professionals from the project partner agencies to translate the knowledge acquired during the preceding training course into practical strategies for facilitating innovative SME financing. During the two-day programme, participants benefited from facilitated discussions on innovative SME financing mechanisms and institutional arrangements and operational considerations. Discussions were also held on regulatory environment, institutional capacity, and enabling conditions for innovative financing models. The workshop also featured sessions for country presentations, where participants shared their national and institutional SME financing landscapes.
The workshop concluded with the development of a set of practical recommendations aimed at providing institutional guidance for operational improvements and enhanced SME access to innovative financing within the OIC member countries.
The COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) introduced the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF) in 2013, a financing mechanism that supports projects submitted by OIC member countries and relevant OIC institutions. Funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, a primary body in the CPF scheme. Since the initiation of CPF, SESRIC has implemented 22 projects to date across various cooperation areas and sectoral themes determined by the CCO.
For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php.
The presentations of the workshop are available at this link.
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