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"helping Small Business Owners Scale the Steps to Business Success"

"helping Small Business Owners Scale the Steps to Business Success"
Symbol of Hope for Small Businesses in East Africa

Sunday, July 24, 2011

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS GETS A BOOST THROUGH MENTORSHIP

MSME Gets a Boost in Mentorship

The MSME Mentorship program launched on 20th July, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel from 7:00am to 9:00am.

Inorero University (IU) with support from the Royal Danish Embassy in Nairobi and in collaboration with the International Labour Organization – through the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility (ILO – YEF); Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE); Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA); Africa Youth Trust (AYT); Enablis and Kenya Association of Women Business Owners (KAWBO) has developed a system of training and qualifying business mentors/ advisors who will provide support to the many firms operating in both the formal and informal economy in Kenya in order to contribute to more sustainable enterprise development. The role of the trained business mentors is to generate advice and provide technical support on growth opportunities and of possibilities of financial and other support services on a regular basis to entrepreneurs – and especially young entrepreneurs.
Course Structure

The course shall be offered twice a month, i.e., 4 consecutive days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) per month, for a period of 5 months, with the sixth month dedicated towards project defense. The 4 days are further distributed into 2 days of Business Dimension learning and another 2 days of Personal Leadership and Mentoring Skill development. The courses are Module based. (Accumulation of various training areas delivered on agreed time frame), the 6 modules are as follows:
• Understanding the nature of the Mentee/ Entrepreneur’s business
• Understanding the nature of the Mentee/ Entrepreneur’s market, value proposition and delivery systems; Strategy contemplation
• Creating and financing Mentee business growth
• Taking advantage of Business Environment in East Africa; what do I need to know?
• Leading Mentee Business and Entrepreneur growth
• Final Project Work based on the Mentee/ Entrepreneur Enterprise

Trade logistics and the investment climate gets a major boost

Kenya Private Sector Alliance gets 38M to improve Kenyan trade logistics and the investment climate

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), signed a Grant Agreement TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Kenya Country Programme on July 14, 2011
Numerous problems, barriers and impediments were identified as the biggest Non-Tarrif Barriers (NTBs) to smooth and efficient trade not only within Kenya, but in the larger East African market. KEPSA was mandated to act as a facilitator of the process to address these impediments, while ensuring full consultation and inputs from all the relevant Government Ministries Departments and Agencies (MSAs) and Private Sector players.

Through TMEA financial support, KEPSA will provide leadership in the development of National Investment Master Plan (NIMP). A supportive communication strategy will also be developed to ensure that the public is sufficiently informed. KEPSA will also engage stakeholders in addressing bottlenecks at the port of Mombasa and the persistent delays at weighbridges. To provide leadership in driving the EAC integration process on behalf of its members, KEPSA will identify bottlenecks Kenyan businesses encounter in regional trade activities. This work will be coordinated with Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) to ensure synergy.
TMEA seeks to support East African integration by unlocking economic potential through:
• Reducing costs of transport along key corridors on East Africa;
• Supporting EAC institutions to develop a comprehensive framework for regional integration;
• Supporting partner states to substantially increase the implementation of a comprehensive framework for regional integration; and
• Engaging private sector and civil society to positively influence regional integration policies and practices for growth in trade.