Kenya has been celebrated as a trailblazer in harnessing digital transformation to drive the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in East Africa.
This was during the Kenya Symposium, part of the country-specific sessions at the 25th EAC MSME Expo, that showcased Kenya’s cultural vibrancy and best practices in creating an enabling environment for enterprise growth.
In his address, Wycliffe Oparanya, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, commended the EAC MSME Trade Fair as “an invaluable platform that celebrates the creativity, innovation, and resilience of MSMEs.”
He reaffirmed the Government of Kenya’s commitment to addressing sector challenges through green transition initiatives, access to finance, capacity building, and championing technology adoption.
At the same time, Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary, State Department for MSME Development, highlighted the central role of technology in powering Kenya’s MSME ecosystem, enabling government programs to reach millions of entrepreneurs efficiently and transparently.
“The Hustler Fund, through a fully digitised process, has disbursed over Ksh 78 billion, creating digital credit profiles for more than 26 million Kenyans. Similarly, the newly launched NYOTA Project, also entirely digital, will provide a Ksh 50,000 capital grant to over 100,000 MSMEs, empowering youth and women to start and scale their businesses,” she said.
Beatrice Askul, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community Affairs and Regional Development, lauded MSMEs as engines of inclusive growth and social transformation.
She emphasised that MSMEs contribute approximately 29% of the East African region’s GDP, calling on member states to close development gaps through innovation, technology integration and policy harmonisation.
Representing the Government’s digital transformation agenda, Mercy Wanjau, Secretary to the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya, emphasised the power of data-driven innovation in enhancing MSME access to markets and finance.
She cited eCitizen, Kenya’s flagship e-Government platform that has digitised more than 22,000 government services, as a model for regional digital transformation.
She also advocated for the digital registration of green enterprises to facilitate access to sustainable finance and green growth opportunities.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), underscored that Africa’s MSMEs face persistent challenges, including limited access to finance, information gaps, informality, and complex regulatory environments.
She announced that the ITC, through its Global Call for MSMEs, is developing a digital platform for best practices to support governments in integrating MSMEs into national and regional economic transformation agendas.
Dr Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, urged EAC governments to champion e-commerce, mobile platforms, and digital policy harmonisation to reduce the cost and complexity of doing business across the region.
“A unified digital framework will unlock MSME competitiveness and deepen regional trade,” he noted.
