The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) in partnership with DHL Kenya Express held a training workshop for Cohort one of the SMEs in the Fashion and Apparel, Leather Sandals, Beaded Jewelry, and handcrafted Brass Items value chains at DHL House Nairobi. In attendance was, the DHL managing Director, Mr. Paul Makolosi, while KEPSA was represented by Levi Injendi the Trade and Investment officer – SME.

In his welcome remarks, the DHL managing Director, Mr. Paul Makolosi underscored the importance of SMEs in building the economy through the creation of jobs. He further said he was positive that the program will have great impact on SMEs in the country. “Exports enhance growth through inbound foreign exchange, we expect this training to enhance your confidence as SMEs to help increase your export potential.”

KEPSA in partnership with DHL, as part of the activities aimed towards capacity building on Export Readiness, is organizing half-day Export Readiness Workshops on different value chains on 15^th, 29^th August, and 12^th September 2024 in Nairobi. The workshops focus on the following areas:

• E-commerce emerging trends
• Top e-commerce markets
• Key Trends in Consumer Behavior
• How to have a unique proposition
• Market network capabilities in Africa.
• DHL Account Management

The workshop showcased to the SMEs various platforms that present an opportunity for them to leverage the international market. Some of the reasons the speakers presented in support for the SMEs to venture into the international market include; International sales are 17% higher compared to domestic sales hence a higher profit margin, an available market globally as 67% of global consumers ship across the border, several untapped markets i.e. Brazil that can be explored and also the need to leverage on social media to promote their products, citing that by 2026, the global e-commerce market will hit over US dollar 8.1 trillion.

SMEs highlighted challenges with a lack of information about international markets, shipping costs, payment methods, stringent international conditions for some products, and fraud cases as some of the hindrances to accessing the global markets. The entrepreneurs were taken through various optimization measures such as SEO, and Patenting of their innovative products to help secure their brands. The SMEs had a chance to showcase their sample products. Ms. Elizabeth from Ilonito-designer-collections showcased different leather products she’s offering and selling to the US market and the need to be supported to tap into the West Africa market.

Also, in the room were SBM bank officials who shared some of the solutions to bridging the access to international markets, through payment platforms offering different international currencies to ease payment. Speaking on behalf of SBM Bank, Dennis Nyakundi touched on customized solutions the bank offers to clients in business, especially SMEs based on sectors.

The workshop is part of a partnership between KEPSA and DHL which will be formalized on 23^rd August 2024 during the Annual SME Awards & Exhibition Conference 2024 through an MOU signing. To be part of the conference please register through this link https://bit.ly/3yDZu4J