African Union, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and AfriLabs worked together to create the Rollo Africa Business Simulation Programme to support SMEs and the informal sector
Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, the African Union, UNDP and AfriLabs worked together to create the Rollo Africa Business Simulation Programme to support SMEs and the informal sector in the post COVID-19 recovery process.
The simulation monitors businesses affected by the shutdown in five African countries (Egypt, Cameroon, Senegal, Sudan and Zimbabwe). The application process attempted to trace the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a specific focus on how these SMEs perceive challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 490 businesses that applied to the simulation programme, the following findings emerged:
- 60% are formal businesses
- The average number of employees per business is 8
- 12% have African Diaspora on their team
- 80% employ full time employees
- 29% are women-led businesses
- 66% employ women on their team
- 17% employ marginalized communities
Data from the responses revealed the major challenges faced by businesses due to the pandemic: 93 percent reported their business was heavily impacted by the pandemic and 95 percent testified they never received any government support to combat the economic downturn. The few respondents who benefitted from government aid received amounts totalling $40-$50 in local currency.
Government support, corruption, taxes and access to finance were the major challenges faced by African SMEs before the COVID-19 pandemic. After the outbreak, corruption was no longer viewed as one of the most worrying challenges for African businesses; instead, clarity of confinement measures, hours of functioning, and curfews became more challenging.
The survey also found that the most affected businesses were founded in 2019, possibly an outcome of high instability and risks associated with the first year of operations, as well as the spread of COVID-19 and associated lockdowns. The application process indicates that early stage businesses are avid users of capacity building programmes that stand to benefit from developing their capabilities and consequently growing their businesses.
The Rollo Africa Business Simulation Programme
Following a 4-week recruitment and outreach campaign, 30 businesses were shortlisted in each of the five eligible countries. The simulation uses real life policies and events to create an understanding of how SMEs, including the informal sector, make decisions during the COVID-19 outbreak. The simulation exercise will translate into understanding responses and behaviours during COVID-19, allow businesses to encapsulate the implications of different policies on the ground, and document good practices to harness these policies. The simulation is currently underway in collaboration with District spaces, Cesim in Finland, AfriLabs: Kmt house in Egypt, ActiveSpaces in Cameroon, JokkoLabs in Senegal, Savannah in Sudan, and Izone hub in Zimbabwe.
UNDP and the African Union will extract learning from the simulation exercise to provide evidence-based policy recommendations to governments on business stimulus packages.
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-80x60.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
