A roundtable on mobilizing private capital during the African Caucus to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). African MSMEs are central to employment, production and economic inclusion. Yet their access to private financing remains limited by numerous obstacles. This issue was the focus of a roundtable held in Banjul, on the sidelines of the African Caucus 2026, on the theme "Attracting Private Capital & Empowering MSMEs". Discussions highlighted a widely shared finding: MSMEs lack financing and suffer from a deficit of financial infrastructure capable of making them visible, credible and attractive to lenders and investors. Informality, absence of credit history, insufficient collateral, scattered data, high cost of capital and fragmentation of support mechanisms continue to hinder their development. Linda Dogbe, digital transformation expert and founder of Qavaa Innovate, emphasized the strategic role of data. According to her, MSMEs already produce considerable information through their transactions, mobile money, digital payments and relations with administrations. Yet this data remains underutilized for assessing their creditworthiness. The challenge is to transform still "invisible" enterprises into truly "investable" actors. She also advocated for a continental-scale digital financial infrastructure, enabling identities, credit histories and collateral to be more portable across countries. Artificial intelligence could strengthen credit scoring, while blockchain could help create secure financial profiles recognized beyond national borders. Potential to unlock Speaking online, Vera Songwe placed the debate in a broader macroeconomic framework. She recalled that the cost of enterprise financing depends heavily on the cost at which states themselves borrow. When sovereign rates are high, MSMEs face even more difficult conditions. Hence the importance of macroeconomic stability, inflation control, local currency financing and regulatory harmonization. Discussions also highlighted the role of central banks, finance ministries, commercial banks, impact investors and multilateral partners. Beyond credit, MSMEs need a complete ecosystem: collateral, support, financial education, formalization and market access. The roundtable concluded on a strong note: unlocking the potential of African MSMEs requires building sustainable solutions, led by African countries themselves and supported by international partners.