Press Releases

On December 5, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions(R/D) with the Government of the Republic of Kenya in Nairobi for the Project for Enhancing Enterprise Competitiveness, as a technical cooperation project.

In Kenya, 98% of the companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with less than 50 employees. Supporting SMEs is important for the country’s economic growth and job creation opportunities, whereas many of them face the challenge of inadequate business capacity and access to finance, which is essential for their growth.

The Project aims to contribute to promoting sustainable growth of enterprises and entrepreneurs in Kenya through supporting an Eco-System (*) for SMEs and entrepreneurs. It will contribute to the achievement of SDGs Goal 8, 9, 17.

Details of the Project are as follows.

(*) The Project defines the Eco-System as “A system composed of actors such as SMEs, start-ups, Business Development Service providers, financial institutions, academia, and public sector, where these actors interact and collaborate to contribute to the growth of SMEs and start-ups.”