KEPROBA partners with Women In Trade (WIT) to build capacity

The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency has partnered with Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) Canada to implement the Women in Trade (WIT) for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Project aimed at building capacity for women in trade.

Over 112 exporters from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties will benefit from this project.

The project focuses on products and services with high employment potential for women and will also prioritize products and services with low environmental impact.

The Women in Trade for Sustainable Development Project also aims at contributing to inclusive growth by increasing the number of women from developing countries involved in international trade as exporters, as well as increasing the share of exports generated by women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The project will achieve these objectives by building the capacity of women-led SMEs in Kenya to meet the demand of the Canadian market and other foreign buyers of selected products and services.

In Kenya, the capacity building programme will be carried out in three regions namely, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and will target women-led enterprises in the priority sectors of Agro-food (fresh & processed), home décor and apparel.

The beneficiaries of the programme were recruited through Business Member Organizations and KEPROBA’s databases.

Among the proposed project partners are Kenya Private Sector Alliance, Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya, Fresh Produce Consortium, Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Council of Governors.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the heart of Kenya. At least 51% of the SMEs in Kenya are owned by Women or have Women in Decision Making positions within the organization.

The sector, however, faces a lot of challenges in accessing and sustaining export trade.

The challenges SMEs face include lack of export awareness, management and marketing skills, quality and quantity of products, inadequate information on export procedures and lack of programmes that address gaps in export marketing.