Scale your Business

Scale Your Business

Entrepreneurs / SMEs that have launched and are running their businesses successfully desiring to further grow their business have two options

  1. Access local and Export Market
  2. Trade with Government

The scale section of the toolkit provides government agencies that can support SMEs on both options mentioned above

The following table details institutions that can assist SMEs to scale through access to local and export market as well as trade with government

 

Access Local and Export Market

Organization About Sector Where to find them
Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency KEPROBA is a State Corporation established under the State Corporations Act Cap 446 through Legal Notice No.110 of August 9th, 2019 .The Agency’s core mandate is to implement export promotion and nation branding initiatives and policies to promote Kenya’s export of goods and services ALL https://brand.ke/index.php/kenyan-exporters/export-facilitation
Agriculture and Food Authority Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) is a State Corporation in the ministry of Agriculture,  Livestock, Fisheries and Corporatives established by the Agriculture and Food Authority Act No 13 of 2013 to operationalize the Crops Act No 16 of 2013. The Act consolidates the laws on regulation and promotion of agriculture and makes provision for the respective roles of national and county governments according to the provisions of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of Kenya. The role of the Authority is to Regulate, Develop and Promote Scheduled Crops value chains for increased economic growth in Kenya. 1-Tea

2-Horticultural Crops

Coffee

3-Nuts & Oil Crops

4-Fibre Crops

5-Food Crops

6-Sugar

7-Miraa, Pyrethrum and other Industrial Crops

 https://agricultureauthority.go.ke/index.php/en/export-import-guidelines
Export Processing Zone Authority The EPZA SME Development Programme

This program aims to nurture SME exporters with the majority local Kenyan shareholding desiring to set up under the EPZA program. It targets SMEs from the Horticulture/food processing, Textile/apparel, Leather, Commercial crafts, BPO, and ICT sectors.

 Horticulture/food processing, Textile/apparel, Leather, Commercial crafts, BPO, and ICT sector https://epzakenya.com/epz-program/
Ajira Digital Program The Ajira Digital Program is a government initiative driven by the Ministry of ICT, Innovations and Youth Affairs to empower over one million young people to access digital job opportunities. ICT https://ajiradigital.go.ke/about_ajira

Trade with Government

The Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) program is founded on the the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 Article 227 on the fair equitable, transparent and cost-effective public procurement of goods and services, the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 Article 55 on affirmative action and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

 

What is the aim of the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) Program?

The aim of the AGPO program is to facilitate the enterprises owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities to be able to participate in Government opportunities. This is will be made possible through the implementation of the legal requirement that 30% of Government procurement opportunities be set aside specifically for enterprises owned by these groups. As a result, the program is aimed at empowering them by giving them more opportunities to do business with Government.

HOW TO JOIN ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

  • Step 1 – Register a business enterprise at the Attorney General’s Office in the form of a sole proprietorship business, partnership business or a limited company . The enterprise owned by youth, women or persons with disabilities shall be a legal entity that –
    1. is registered with the relevant government body; and
    2. has at least seventy percent membership of youth, women or persons with disabilities and the leadership shall be one hundred percent youth, women and persons with disabilities, respectively.
  • Step 2 – If business is a partnership, get a partnership deed from a lawyer, if it is a limited company a CR12 from the registrar of of Companies (system generated soft copy).
  • Step 3 – Acquire a PIN and tax compliance/ tax exemption certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority website
  • Step 4 – Acquire all required certifications from professional bodies and authorities such as National Construction Authority, Insurance Regulatory Authority, ICPAK, LSK, National Council for Persons with Disabilities, NEMA, ERC and all other authorized bodies.
  • Step 5 – Open a bank account for the business and acquire a bank reference from the bank.
  • Step 6 – Access the website www.agpo.go.ke and register online or visit your nearest Huduma Center for assistance


Scale Stage Regulators

Organization About Where to find them
Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency KEPROBA is a State Corporation established under the State Corporations Act Cap 446 through Legal Notice No.110 of August 9th, 2019 .The Agency’s core mandate is to implement export promotion and nation branding initiatives and policies to promote Kenya’s export of goods and services https://brand.ke/index.php/kenyan-exporters/export-facilitation
Agriculture and Food Authority Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) is a State Corporation in the ministry of Agriculture,  Livestock, Fisheries and Corporatives established by the Agriculture and Food Authority Act No 13 of 2013 to operationalize the Crops Act No 16 of 2013. The Act consolidates the laws on regulation and promotion of agriculture and makes provision for the respective roles of national and county governments according to the provisions of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of Kenya. The role of the Authority is to Regulate, Develop and Promote Scheduled Crops value chains for increased economic growth in Kenya. https://agricultureauthority.go.ke/index.php/en/export-import-guidelines
Export Processing Zone Authority The EPZA SME Development Programme-This program aims to nurture SME exporters with the majority local Kenyan shareholding desiring to set up under the EPZA program. It targets SMEs from the Horticulture/food processing, Textile/apparel, Leather, Commercial crafts, BPO, and ICT sectors. https://epzakenya.com/epz-program/
Ajiira Digital Program The Ajira Digital Program is a government initiative driven by the Ministry of ICT, Innovations and Youth Affairs to empower over one million young people to access digital job opportunities. https://ajiradigital.go.ke/about_ajira
Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) The aim of the AGPO program is to facilitate the enterprises owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities to be able to participate in Government opportunities. This is will be made possible through the implementation of the legal requirement that 30% of Government procurement opportunities be set aside specifically for enterprises owned by these groups. As a result, the program is aimed at empowering them by giving them more opportunities to do business with Government. https://agpo.go.ke/pages/about-agpo