At least 100 beneficiaries of the Government’s National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme will be among 500 Kenyan Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) selected to participate in the 26th East African Community (EAC) MSME Trade Fair in Kigali, Rwanda.
The participation is expected to give young entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their products, access regional markets, establish business partnerships and gain exposure to new opportunities within the EAC market.
Cooperatives and MSME Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the Government was giving priority to MSMEs because of their contribution to employment creation, livelihoods and the national economy.
Oparanya said more than 21 million people were engaged in the MSME sector, making it one of the country’s most important economic drivers.
He said the Government was focusing on improving access to finance, markets and digital transformation to enable MSMEs to grow and become competitive in local, regional and international markets.
The CS spoke in Nairobi while addressing the media during the commissioning of the EAC MSME Trade Fair 2026 National Organising Committee, which has been tasked with coordinating preparations for the Kenyan delegation to Kigali.
The committee will oversee facilitation, travel logistics, movement of goods, certification, security coordination and other arrangements required to ensure smooth participation by Kenyan exhibitors.
Oparanya said MSMEs were among the key sectors capable of transforming the Kenyan economy, noting that the sector contributes more than 30 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Government has prioritised MSMEs as one of the key sectors of the economy that, if focused on, can change the economy of this country,” said Oparanya.
He said the Government could not undertake every aspect of business but had a responsibility to create an enabling environment in which small enterprises could access affordable capital, markets and appropriate technology.
Oparanya said the Government had established various financing programmes to enable MSMEs and individuals to access affordable credit and expand their businesses.
He cited the Hustler Fund, saying more than Sh90 billion had been disbursed through the programme and millions of Kenyans had participated in borrowing from the facility.
The CS said the Government had also expanded the fund to allow small businesses and individuals to access higher levels of financing as their enterprises progressed.
He said the intention was to enable beneficiaries to grow gradually and eventually graduate to commercial financing as their businesses became more established.
Oparanya said the Government was also working towards putting in place legislation that would provide small businesses with a longer period to develop before being expected to operate independently.
He observed that some developed economies give small enterprises several years to mature, saying Kenya needed a framework that would similarly allow MSMEs sufficient time to establish sustainable businesses.
On market access, Oparanya said the Government was constructing modern markets across the country to provide small businesses with decent trading spaces and storage facilities.
He said regional trade fairs were equally important because they allowed Kenyan MSMEs to showcase their products, interact with enterprises from other countries, establish commercial contacts and explore wider markets.
The CS said the EAC MSME Trade Fair provided an important opportunity for Kenyan enterprises to compete in the regional market while learning from businesses operating in other EAC partner states.
He also identified digital transformation as a critical area for MSME development, saying businesses needed to embrace technology to remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.
Oparanya urged participating enterprises to pay attention to the quality of their products and innovation, particularly if they hoped to penetrate regional and international markets.
He said the Government remained committed to supporting the MSME sector because of its role in creating employment, improving household incomes and supporting economic activity.
The Principal Secretary, State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Susan Mang’eni, said at least 100 NYOTA beneficiaries would be included among the 500 Kenyan participants expected to attend the Kigali trade fair.
Mang’eni said the exposure would enable NYOTA beneficiaries to access the regional market, build their capacity, establish business connections and expand their enterprises.
She said the inclusion of the beneficiaries was part of the Government’s effort to continue supporting them beyond the initial implementation of the NYOTA programme.
“When we rolled out NYOTA, it was not just something that was a one-off. We said we will work with them even after the end of the programme,” Mang’eni said.
She said providing the beneficiaries with an opportunity to participate in a regional trade platform would help integrate them into the wider MSME ecosystem and expose them to opportunities for business growth.
Mang’eni said all 47 counties would be represented in the Kenyan delegation, with each county expected to have more than five exhibitors participating in the regional event.
She said the Government was also working with partners to explore the possibility of increasing the number of Kenyan participants from 500 to 1,000.
The PS said the National Organising Committee would coordinate various aspects of Kenya’s participation, including travel logistics, facilitation, movement of exhibitors and border arrangements.
She said several Government agencies would be involved in ensuring the smooth movement of exhibitors and their goods to Kigali, including immigration, foreign affairs and internal security agencies.
Mang’eni said the Kenya Bureau of Standards would also be involved in certifying goods destined for exhibition, underscoring the importance of ensuring that Kenyan products met the required standards.
She said the preparations were particularly important because exhibitors and their goods would need to begin moving ahead of the official opening of the trade fair.
The PS urged participating businesses to prepare adequately by ensuring their products were of good quality, competitively priced and capable of meeting the needs of customers beyond the Kenyan market.
Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) Chairman Dr James Mureu said the EAC MSME Trade Fair provided an important platform for Kenyan businesses to access regional markets and establish commercial partnerships.
Mureu said the EAC Treaty places the private sector, particularly MSMEs, at the centre of regional economic integration.
He said trade fairs were more than commercial events because they provided a practical platform for implementing the EAC Common Market Protocol, particularly through the movement of goods, services and people across borders.
Mureu said MSEA was working to strengthen the MSME ecosystem through modern infrastructure, market access, financial inclusion and capacity building.
He cited the development of county value-addition centres and industrial parks as some of the interventions aimed at strengthening the sector and helping enterprises move from production of raw materials to value-added products.
According to Mureu, MSMEs in East Africa had undergone significant transformation over the years, moving from producing mainly low-value products to developing precision machinery, high-quality leather products, organic cosmetics and digital agricultural technologies.
He urged East African MSMEs to shift their focus from competing among themselves to competing with businesses from other parts of the world.
Mureu said improved product quality, innovation and adoption of technology would enable East African enterprises to take advantage of the regional market and eventually compete globally.
He said the previous edition of the trade fair attracted more than 1,500 SMEs from EAC partner states, about 55,000 visitors and 300 targeted business-to-business sessions.
He urged Kenyan exhibitors travelling to Kigali to showcase their best products and use the event to establish trade connections, identify new customers and expand their businesses.
“This is a harvest time for us as a country,” Mureu said, urging Kenyan enterprises to present high-quality products in the regional market.
The 26th EAC MSME Trade Fair is expected to bring together close to 2,000 exhibitors from participating EAC partner states.
Kenya is expected to field about 500 exhibitors, with all 47 counties represented. The delegation will showcase products from different value chains, with the leather sector identified as one of the strategic areas for the Kenyan exhibition.
Other products and enterprises are expected to cover a broad range of economic activities, reflecting the diversity and potential of Kenya’s MSME sector.
The event will also feature country-specific days and thematic discussions focusing on issues affecting MSMEs, including digital business, women in trade, trade financing, capacity building and market linkages.
The organisers said the trade fair would provide MSMEs with an opportunity to strengthen cross-border trade connections and explore ways of taking advantage of the wider African market.
The forum is also expected to create opportunities for enterprises to learn from each other, identify emerging consumer trends and understand requirements for accessing markets within the EAC and beyond.
For NYOTA beneficiaries, participation in the trade fair is expected to complement the financial and business support they have received under the programme.
The beneficiaries will have an opportunity to interact directly with established businesses, potential customers, financiers and other players in the regional value chains.
Such exposure is expected to help young entrepreneurs understand how to position their products for larger markets while strengthening their capacity to meet quality, packaging, branding and certification requirements.
Kenya has participated prominently in the EAC MSME Trade Fair over the years, with the country expected to maintain a large delegation for the 26th edition.
The National Organising Committee will continue coordinating preparations for the Kenyan delegation, including facilitation, travel arrangements, certification of goods, security coordination and border movement ahead of the event in Kigali.
The participation of NYOTA beneficiaries is expected to provide the young entrepreneurs with practical exposure to regional markets while allowing them to showcase products and build networks that could support the expansion of their enterprises.
By Aron Kinyamasyo
