Group photo in Nairobi, Kenya;
Credit: MAE
Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, participated in the seventh edition of the African Inclusive Finance Week (Semaine africaine de la finance inclusive - SAM) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 October 2025.
Centred around the theme "(Re)focusing on vulnerable populations to meet upcoming challenges in inclusive finance," SAM 2025 is taking place from Monday 13 to Friday 17 October 2025.
As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, the SAM brings together key stakeholders from microfinance institutions, financial service providers, innovators, government representatives and researchers.
The conference is co-funded by the ministry's Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and organised by the Luxembourg NGO ADA - Appui au Développement Autonome and the Association for Microfinance Institutions Kenya (AMFI-K), in partnership with the Government of Kenya.
For the 2025 edition, 1,160 participants from 63 countries have registered.
As part of this event, Minister Bettel had the opportunity to interact with various stakeholders and gain insight into their work in Africa.
On the sidelines of the SAM, the foreign minister held a bilateral meeting with his Kenyan counterpart, Prime Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi. They discussed bilateral relations between Luxembourg and Kenya, including in the development cooperation sector, as well as Kenya's role in East Africa, the business climate and democratic values in Kenya. The meeting also served to revisit multilateralism and cooperation between the European Union and the African Union.
The visit to Nairobi was also an opportunity to meet with beneficiaries of projects receiving funding from the Luxembourg's development cooperation programme. Minister Bettel visited the Taimba Fresh Offices project, which is modernising the food supply chain between small farmers and urban retailers, as well as a hospitality school.
Moreover, Minister Bettel participated in the Catapult event, organised by the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT). In his speech, he highlighted Luxembourg's role in the field of inclusive finance, highlighting innovative projects that aim to facilitate daily life and make financial services more accessible to all.
