A total of 200 business leaders in Kisumu were hosted on Monday, November 11, by Absa Bank Kenya for a Business Club Forum as part of the lender’s Western Kenya Caravan that will significantly impact Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) in Bungoma, Busia, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, and Homabay.
The forum, focused on networking and engaging SMEs with industry leaders to enable them to thrive and grow, comes at a time when many small-scale businesses are facing challenges such as rising prices, high operational costs, lack of access to sustainable finance, information, markets as well as coaching and mentorship.
Absa Bank Kenya Head of Small and Medium Enterprise, Erastus Muthura, said currently the Bank is supporting SMEs, including women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs)-led SMEs.
“We believe that every story is unique and therefore support our clients with financial and non-financial skills to scale their businesses,” Mr Muthura said.
“As a bank, we ensure that we provide platforms through which we can interact like this one convened by the Business Club. As a Bank, we are present in 12 countries across Africa and are encouraging our customers to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the different markets in the continent.”
He was speaking during the Absa Bank Kenya Business Club forum in Kisumu.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kisumu Chapter Chairman, Israel Agina, said: “SMEs play an important role in our communities and are important for the sustenance of our supply chains. We are grateful to Absa for their support today as we discuss issues of resilience and for supporting SMEs during the tough economic times.”
The forum has been empowering entrepreneurs in the country, equipping them with skills to thrive in the volatile business environment. The bank has hosted similar forums in Nakuru County, Mombasa County, Nyeri County and is set to hold similar business forums in the Rift Valley region in the coming week.
>>> The power of partnerships in scaling women-led SME growth in Kenya
