The Embassy of Ireland in Nairobi and the Kenya Private Sector Association (KEPSA) have partnered to give Kenyan women a chance to grow their businesses, through a well-thought-out plan that seeks to promote economic freedom after the August 9 election.
The programme, dubbed Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Accelerator Cohort 3, will run for four months and targets women and the youth in any type of business but priority will be given to KEPSA members.
Topics that will be covered under the programme include training on developing comprehensive business plans, developing 3-year financial projections for businesses, developing pitch decks and the art of pitching, understanding legal investor documentation and an overview of the funding landscape.
It offers intense training but a lenient specification for those who qualify. Applicants must have been in business for at least one year and a maximum of ten years. They must have between one to nine employees.
"It will involve intensive training and mentorship sessions to bolster their current strategies, accelerate their growth, and help them pivot or adjust their strategy due to new information about their target market."
The key objectives for this cohort will be supporting the selected SMEs to evaluate their business processes and determine the gaps they need to address towards being ready for funding.
To qualify for funding, applicants will have to be women-led/owned SMEs 18-70years old, male-led/owned SMEs 18-35years old.
Other requirements is that one must be registered in Kenya and operational in any of the 47 counties with businesses operating outside Nairobi encouraged to apply.
You will also be required to show commitment and participate in the program for four months by attending eleven weekly sessions of two hours each. Applicants are also required to be computer literate.
They must also be willing employers ready to work and submit agreed deliverables namely; business plans, financial projections and pitch decks and have access to a suitable device and reliable internet connectivity to participate since all sessions will be virtual.
How to Apply
Qualified applicants have until August 14 to submit their applications which will be done online through the KEPSA portal kepsa(dot)or(dot)ke(slash)smes(hyphen)opportunities(slash)
The main objective of this cohort will be to build capacity for participating SMEs to enable them to access suitable financial products with an aim of growing and expanding their businesses.
