Already the KNCCI has signed an MoU with the Kenya Bankers Association to help the SME’s access credit/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26-The Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry will be working closely with the Office of the President in its bid to promote Small Businesses Enterprises (SME’s).
Already the KNCCI has signed an MoU with the Kenya Bankers Association to help the SME’s access credit and today the umbrella organization of business community entered into partnership with the OP when the Special Advisor to the President Anne Mutahi paid them a courtesy call.
“We have discussed how to assist startups and get a framework and an ecosystem around helping the SME’s. This is a critical area we talked about,” Mutahi who was flanked by the KNCCI President Richard Ngatia with his Vice, Fatma Maawy the CEO Angella Ndambuki, said.
She added that they are also looking at how they can start an SME’s week where the whole country can discuss issues affecting the small traders at a deeper level.
Ngatia who celebrated his 100 days since he was elected had campaigned on a platform of promoting the SME’s.
He said they’re trying to see at how the chamber can integrate with the government in a bid to support the Big Four Agenda, which is President Kenyatta’s development blueprint.
SME’s contributes 30 percent of jobs in the country as Ngatia has been saying it is only by promoting them that the Government can be able to address youth unemployment.
So, the chamber has been keen to remind the President as well as county governments not to leave the small traders behind when implementing their respective development agendas.
And as he told Mutahi during their discussion, they have been trying to support the small businesses by putting up cottages in industrial parks the Government has established.
One such park in Kedong in Naivasha where the Government is building a dry port for goods being transported from the Port of Mombasa for transit to the landlocked countries of Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC Congo.
“We are trying to attract investors so that we can work closely with them and support these small businesses,” the chamber boss told the Presidential advisory team.
Mutahi described KNCCI as an excellent partner saying they have a common objective.
She expressed the need of coming up with a national SME’s policy that would be able to capture different issues the small businesses face.
In their new partnership Ngatia said the chamber will be able to capacity build the SME’s and help them in the transfer of knowledge.
