Puzzle of Kenyan state officer with eight top jobs 

A peek into European Union-supported blended finance vehicles that offer flexible, risk-tolerant financing solutions to SMEs in East Africa Studies show that 1 in every 5 working-age Africans will start a business in their lifetime but very few will live to their full potential, largely due to lack of access to suitable funding. It is estimated that there is a funding gap of USD106 billion, with the most affected businesses being those in the “missing middle”⏤ too large to benefit from the various Microfinance funding options available, but also not large enough to be considered by classic local commercial banks, DFls and other impact investors. In this abridged speech made by Cristina Banuta the Programme Manager, Access to Finance, Climate Finance, Agribusiness and Land at the European Union Delegation to Uganda at the recently ended East Africa Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) Private Capital Conference at the Speke Resort Convention Centre enumerates the various European Union-supported structured blended finance and risk-tolerant capital solutions and instruments available to SMEs in the East African region.