On 2^nd May 2022, KEPSA CEO Ms. Carole Kariuki held a meeting with the KEPSA SME Sector Board led by the Chair Ms. Mary Ngechu. The meeting discussed how the sector board could initiate cross-cutting policies and regulations affecting SMEs to help them to scale up their businesses.

Also present in the meeting were Mr. Harrison Ngatia – KEPSA Head of projects; Ms. Fridah Owinga – SME Sector Board Vice-Chair; Mr. Frank Mwiti – Financial Access; Ms. Catherine Ndungu – Capacity Building; Ms. Kezy Mukiri – Markets Access; Mr. Michael Kembo – Innovation and Incubation for Business Growth, among others.

Ms. Kariuki noted that the KEPSA SME Sector Board will draw attraction by aligning more SME programs, scaling existing programs, and creating new ones in line with the five SME sector board sub-sectors; Financial access, market access, capacity building, Business climate, and regulatory framework and innovation and incubation for business growth.

The KEPSA CEO also encouraged sector board members to refer to the SME Index developed by KEPSA to select deliverables that can be easily implemented. The Index, she said, will help push for the SME agenda in the country and highlight recommendations that will have a continuous and long-term ripple effect.

The Sector Board proposed to create an award system for the SME enablers both in the private and public sectors, to act as a catalyst for scaling up SMEs and measuring the impact on the SME ecosystem.

Thereafter, the KEPSA SME Sector Board leaders agreed on the following as the next steps:

1. Organize an engagement forum to facilitate the understanding of the target group to have a focus on what agenda is being pushed.
2. Create a solid database to come up with specific programs that are SME targeted.
3. Develop a communication strategy to reach out to players in the SME ecosystem.