This book examines why small and medium-sized enterprises in Francophone West Africa remain central to employment, trade, and private-sector growth yet continue to face constrained access to formal bank credit. Drawing on original evidence from Burkina Faso and interpreting it within the common monetary and supervisory architecture of UMOA/WAEMU, the book argues that the SME financing gap cannot be explained by borrower weakness or generic banker caution alone. It is produced through the interaction of information asymmetry, risk assessment, collateral requirements, documentation burdens, branch geography, approval hierarchies, and the internal organization of bank lending. Combining academic analysis with banking-sector experience, the book develops a practical policy architecture for banks, regulators, development finance institutions, and SME support agencies seeking to widen productive credit without weakening prudential discipline.

Dr. Kouafilann Abdoulaye Sory is a West African finance executive, banking professional, and researcher with more than three decades of experience in banking, SME finance, capital mobilization, and investment. He has led Fidelis Finance for over twenty-five years and has overseen its development as a specialized financial institution serving SMEs and productive investment within the UMOA space. He is also Chairman of AfriCapital Partners, a pan-African investment company supporting high-potential businesses.

He holds a PhD in International Business Management with a specialization in Behavioural Finance from the Franklin Hudson International School of Management. His research focuses on banking, SME finance, information asymmetry, risk behaviour and the institutional conditions that shape access to credit in West Africa. His professional and research experience connects empirical analysis with practical questions of regulation, risk assessment, relationship lending, and enterprise development.