The County Government of Uasin Gishu, through the Department of Trade and Cooperatives, is committed to supporting women in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in marketing their products and broadening their investor network by using established relationships, research, and the dissemination of information.
County Executive Committee Member Martha Cheruto said this in Eldoret while addressing a women traders’ engagement forum attended by hundreds of MSMEs, an event that was organised by the Stanbic Foundation on productive lending to women traders.
“The Governor has created a department that deals solely with gender issues and has great initiatives set to see our women grow economically,” said Cheruto.
She added that the County Enterprise Development Fund (CEDF) and the Inua Biashara Fund, which are all domiciled under her docket, provide affordable loans to MSMEs, further urging them to make use of the funds for the growth of their ventures.
The partnership between the county government and the Stanbic Foundation aims at enhancing funding for MSMEs by training and mentoring them with business skills, promoting value addition, and increasing the export of quality products from the county.
According to research on women entrepreneurs by the World Bank, women-owned enterprises contribute significantly to the country’s economy, and their businesses account for about 48 percent of MSMEs.
Cheruto further noted that women in businesses are still facing myriad challenges, among them financial constraints, unequal access to land and property, and being unable to access financing due to a lack of collateral, something she affirmed her concern about dealing with through partnerships with various stakeholders in making their dreams a reality.
Trade Chief Officer Geoffrey Tanui, who was also present, noted that women’s enterprises are very vibrant, and the need to lay down structures that ensure a conducive working environment for them to conduct their businesses is key.
On their part, Francis Muchangi (Branch Manager) and Nalo Doreen (projects coordinator at Stanbic Foundation) said they are mandated to train the women MSMEs on financial management, protection, benefits, and networking so they can share ideas and build capacity.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
