The government through the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry has launched a new business support centre known as the Karibu Business Support Centre (KBSC).
Speaking during the launch on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano stated that the business centre would provide a consolidated approach for access to financial services for businesses.
KBSC will enable businesses to access loans through the provision of information and facilitate the taking out of business loans.
The following financial services can be facilitated through KBSC, Hustler Fund, Women Enterprise Fund and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund.
Additionally, business people will also access financing services from the Kenya Development Corporation (KDC) in the form of debt and equity financing and the Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) industrial financing.
The CS further detailed that the support centre has been designed to promote the growth of manufacturing and Kenyan businesses both locally and globally.
“My ministry is currently focused on three primary objectives; promoting and facilitating investments, enhancing the contribution of domestic and export trade to the GDP, and increasing the contribution of manufacturing to the GDP”, stated Miano.
Besides offering financial access to businesses, the Support centre will also offer advisory services to businesses.
According to the Ministry, the Business Centre will also provide linkage to Kenyan businesses with opportunities in foreign countries.
Speaking during the launch, Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana confirmed that the government was working with other nations to determine their needs and link Kenyan businesses to those opportunites.
“We are looking at this Karibu Business Center to be an important place where we will know who is demanding what, we will be putting together deals, what is that Japan, Germany needs. We will know who needs what,” explained Mukhwana.
The Karibu Business Centre is accessible to the public through its headquarters stationed at the 16th Floor of the NSSF Building in Nairobi, their online portal and through 12 other regional centres.
