On November 22, 2023, KEPSA Director of SMEs and Start-Ups, Ms. Mary Ngechu, represented KEPSA at the Road to Growth programme graduation ceremony held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Westlands. She served as the chief guest at the ceremony celebrating the successful completion of a 7-week intensive training in business skills by 38 women entrepreneurs. 

During her address, Ms. Ngechu shared insights from her entrepreneurial journey and encouraged the graduates to be intentional about their business goals. Emphasizing the pivotal role of research in business growth, she underscored the importance of unique market positioning. Ms. Ngechu urged entrepreneurs to continually nurture their businesses and financial skills, leverage their networks, and persist in their learning journey to enhance their confidence and capacities for business success.

Emphasizing the avenues available within KEPSA for SMEs, she urged participants to consider joining KEPSA membership for a comprehensive experience of benefits. This involvement would afford them a voice in discussions on overarching policy issues. Ms. Ngechu further detailed a range of support areas, encompassing training opportunities, networking events, financial linkages, mentorships, coaching, access to markets, integration into value chains, and exposure to investment opportunities, through which KEPSA actively assists SMEs. She gave an example of the Jiinue Growth program (JGP) that was rolled out this year that aims to address the funding gap for young women and young men-owned and led MSEs by combining financial support with well-tailored technical assistance and a hands-on coordination strategy between various players in the ecosystem. JGP is an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with a 7-member consortium, namely: Kenya Private Sector Alliance, Grassroots Business Fund (GBF), Groots Kenya, KNCCI, Powered by People, 4G Capital, and DT Global. The program targets reaching 4,500 youth-led and women-led SMEs, 3,500 groups or enterprises, and 225,000 microenterprises in five years and enabling 500,000 underserved young people who have been left out of the financial system.

The Road to Growth programme, a transformative online learning course, focuses on empowering women entrepreneurs in Kenya. It was open to 50 women eager to enhance their business skills as well as provide a platform for networking opportunities. The program is funded by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and implemented by Smart Regional Consultants (SRC). 

The climax of the event was the award session, recognizing the achievements of the graduates.