Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in Nyeri, in partnership with Trademark Africa (TMA) and the Canadian High Commission, have launched a business platform, iSoko, to support women in business.
iSoko, accessible online on mobile phones through a code, targets women traders from the five East Africa Community countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. The platform will act as a regional marketplace where women can buy and sell goods and access vital trade and market information. Further, the platform will grant the users access to verified service providers and allow the women from Nyeri to network with other traders.
According to Martin Ndirangu, the Nyeri KNCCI Nyeri chapter chairman, the application has been designed to help women address information gaps and unlock opportunities for participation in trade opportunities, formalisation of businesses, and growth in trade value.
“iSoko will go a long way in addressing the key market and information gaps that exist for women traders while providing them and other traders with business tools and assets like business procedures, trade statistics, exchange rates, taxation rates and details, business documents, trade and market information, and business news and events,” he said.
“Through the platform, you can easily access details of various service providers and regulatory agencies, like the Kenya Bureau of Standards or the Kenya Revenue Authority, among others, and contact them to help in the smooth running of your business while saving you the time of having to physically visit their offices,” he added.
iSoko Business and web developer, Rachel Wangechi, said that in addition to businesses, the platform was also eyeing technology-related start-ups by women. She noted that since the launch of the platform in March this year, 3,000 users and over 100 products have been registered on the platform, adding that iSoko aimed to bring 200,000 users from the region on board.
“It is our aim to support women’s entrepreneurship and innovation in all areas of our society. The platform we are launching will easily enhance market access by electronically connecting traders with their customers across all the five countries in the East African Community,” she said.
By Yvette Kimani and Wangari Mwangi
