Partnership Between Invest In Africa and SME Support Center to Drive Access to Finance for SME's

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya have limited access to funding even though they provide employment to most of the labour force. Consequently, they face difficulty in developing new products and financing the orders of existing and prospective customers. At Invest in Africa, we recognize the significance of creating an enabling financial environment that sets SMEs on a growth path. For this reason, we posture to intervene for them by forming partnerships with organizations that share these sentiments.

On 5th March 2020, Invest in Africa- Kenya (IIA-Kenya) signed a partnership with the SME Support Centre (SSC) to improve access to finance for SMEs.

SSC is an intermediary that works to provide the necessary business advisory to SMES and mobilize the investment capital required to support their growth. The work of SSC complements IIA’s mandate to enable trade between SMEs and larger corporates. Together we will connect SMEs to financial opportunities and build their capacities through a series of collaborative training bootcamps.

Commenting on the signing of the partnership, Wangechi Muriuki, Invest in Africa-Kenya’s Country Director said, “Through this partnership with SSC, we hope to provide SMEs with financial linkages to enable them to grow sustainably, consistently and to effectively deliver on the opportunities they receive. This will drive balanced and inclusive growth.”

The partnership with SSC focuses on Invest in Africa’s mission to strengthen SMEs’ financial fitness. To date, we have facilitated $3 million worth of contracts to SMEs and this partnership marks a new horizon in collaborating for similar impact.