Corporates are being urged to unite in supporting MSMEs with viable products to access their most critical needs: capital, markets, and the technical expertise required for scaling.
The call was made by MSMEs Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni during Conecta Africa, a continental initiative co-led by Bridge for Billions with the support of key partners, including the Coca-Cola Foundation, IDRC, Grundfos Foundation, and Strathmore University.
The programme will strengthen early-stage entrepreneurial ecosystems and foster the inclusive growth of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa.
The launch convened over 100 high-level stakeholders from Government, Development partners, corporate organisations, academia, and entrepreneurship support organisations who came together to co-create strategies that foster youth and women-led entrepreneurship, ecosystem building and access to finance.
Mang’eni discussed ongoing preparations for the next phase of the Hustler Fund, which focuses on scaling existing enterprises with a good credit history.
This will include larger credit, sector-specific growth solutions, targeted mentorship, and direct linkages to value chains and global markets.
Through this fund, women and youth entrepreneurs will be elevated from micro to small, and from small to medium, export-ready enterprises.
The Principal Secretary further requested that Conecta Africa consider partnering with us to develop digital training content that our Hustler Fund beneficiaries can access and grow their enterprises.
