Absa Bank Kenya has called for a critical shift in how financial institutions engage with East Africa’s small businesses, urging banks to take financing and support directly to entrepreneurs rather than waiting for them to seek assistance.
This core message was delivered during a key panel discussion at the 25th EAC MSMEs Trade Fair (November 10-11, 2025) held at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi. The panel, titled “Unlocking access to finance and markets: Key enablers for scaling MSMEs in the region,” focused on the fair’s theme: “25 Years of EAC Integration: Advancing Innovation and Regional Value Chains for Competitive MSMEs Towards Sustainable Development.”
In his opening remarks, CS Oparanya highlighted the alignment of the event with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). He noted the significant contribution of MSMEs, stating, “MSMEs contribute about 30% to Kenya’s GDP and create over 90% of jobs, yet still face challenges such as limited market access, financing gaps, and climate-related disruptions.”
The CS celebrated the impressive participation of over 3,000 exhibitors from across East Africa.
Elizabeth Wasunna-Ochwa, Absa Bank Kenya’s Director of Business Banking, represented the banking sector on the panel and outlined the bank’s evolving strategy to address the persistent financing gaps.
Wasunna explained that Absa is moving beyond traditional methods for better, direct engagement. “The biggest thing that we have done differently… is to say, let’s have conversations with SMEs, not in our offices, but in the grounds wherever they are,” she stated.
She identified two crucial changes Absa is implementing:
- Sustainable Financing: A push towards unsecured lending, often backed by credit guarantee funds to mitigate risk for the bank.
- Non-Financial Support: A deliberate focus on providing business knowledge and training in addition to capital.
“There are two basic principles that we must be able to embrace… One is to provide sustainable financing for SMEs, and two is to make sure that SMEs have the non-financial support for them to truly grow into corporates of the future,” Wasunna concluded.
The panel also emphasized the necessity of SMEs integrating into larger corporate supply chains and leveraging digital tools to expand their market reach, citing regional efforts such as Burundi’s upcoming national e-commerce strategy.
The Trade Fair, held in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), featured a High-Level Ministerial Roundtable focused on fostering opportunities for MSMEs and promoting youth-led innovation. The outcomes of these discussions are set to inform a communiqué that will be presented to the EAC Heads of State Summit, advocating for enhanced regional support for MSME growth and scalability.
The Kenya Day event saw attendance from high-level delegates, including AfCFTA Secretary General H.E. Wamkele Mene, ITC Executive Director Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, and UN Resident Coordinator Stephen Jackson, underscoring the vital role of MSMEs in driving regional economic integration and sustainable development.