Lengapiani, MBS

Today, we conducted an advance visit to inspect and assess the venue for the World MSME Day 2026 celebrations, scheduled for 27th June 2026. The event will also serve as the national disbursement event for the 2nd tranche of the @NYOTA_Kenya business start-up capital. The visit provided an opportunity to review logistical arrangements, venue readiness, beneficiary reception plans, security measures, and coordination among implementing agencies to ensure a seamless and successful event.

This afternoon, I chaired the closing meeting of the World Bank Implementation Support Mission for the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (@KJETProject_Ke) Project, led by @WorldBankKenya Task Team Leader Asta Bareisaite and Co-Task Team Leader Leah Kiwara. The KJET Project is a flagship Government initiative designed to catalyse private sector investment, expand market access, and improve access to sustainable finance, ultimately driving job creation and economic transformation across the country. Anchored on the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the project seeks to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of MSME clusters within priority value chains, unlocking new opportunities for enterprise growth and wealth creation. KJET is expected to strengthen MSMEs' capacity to create and expand jobs, resulting in increased household incomes and a deeper contribution of MSMEs to Kenya’s national development.

I hosted a high-level delegation from Botswana on a benchmarking visit focused on the successful implementation of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement @NYOTA_Kenya) program. The visit provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange on Kenya’s innovative approaches to youth empowerment, enterprise development, access to affordable financing opportunities, digital innovation and inclusion, skills development and mentorship, and program scalability. I highlighted the government of Kenya’s commitment to bui lding an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem that equips young people with the skills, opportunities, and support needed to thrive in a dynamic economy. A key highlight of the discussions was the use of the *254# digital platform, which has been a game changer in the implementation of NYOTA by enhancing accessibility, transparency, efficiency, and inclusivity by enabling young people across the country to easily access program information, application processes, opportunities, and support services directly through their mobile phones. Leveraging technology through platforms such as *254# has strengthened government outreach and expanded opportunities for youth, particularly those in underserved and remote areas. The digital platform is part of the countries' digitization agenda, which ensures Kenyans can access government services in the comfort of their homes, thus making service delivery fast and efficient. By reaching youth at the grassroots level, Nyota has created opportunities for participation from diverse regions and communities, ensuring that no young person is left behind in the country’s economic transformation agenda. the areas. Through structured mentorship, entrepreneurial coaching, and practical skills development, more young people are now identifying market gaps within and building sustainable enterprises. The Botswana delegation commended Kenya’s progress in implementing youth-centered economic empowerment programs and expressed interest in adopting key lessons and best practices to strengthen similar initiatives in Botswana, noting political goodwill as a key enabler and driver of successful project implementation. This engagement underscores the importance of regional collaboration and peer learning in advancing Africa’s development agenda and creating meaningful opportunities for young people across the continent.

The Africa Forward Business Forum, held in Nairobi as part of the Africa Forward Summit 2026, brought together government leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and development partners from across Africa and Europe to explore new pathways for economic growth, trade, and investment on the continent. This morning, I joined the Africa Forward Business Forum, co-hosted by our president, H.E. Dr William Ruto and his French counterpart, H.E. Emmanuel Macron. The forum focused on the need to shift Africa’s global economic engagement from an aid-dependent model to one driven by investment, entrepreneurship, and industrial growth. The forum advocated for Africa to finance more of its own development through innovative financing mechanisms and stronger regional financial institutions that will fast-track investments in infrastructure, strengthen digital ecosystems, and support industrial development. Kenya was highlighted as an emerging hub for digital innovation, fintech, and startup development. This speaks to our government's commitment to creating an enabling business environment for enterprises to thrive

The launch of the Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030) on the sidelines of the Africa Forward 2026 gathering in Nairobi is a welcome step in our journey toward increasing Kenya’s manufacturing contribution to GDP to 20% by 2030. We thank our President, H.E. Dr William Ruto, for championing this initiative. Its success will help ensure that Africa’s projected 50-billion-dollar pharmaceutical market shifts from being largely import-driven to generating local income and opportunities for African pharmaceutical manufacturers. Kenya has invested in Industrial Parks and County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) across the country, which, combined with expanding investments in infrastructure and logistics, including the Port of Mombasa and the Standard Gauge Railway, will significantly ease the movement of goods to regional and international export markets. Growth in manufacturing volumes will also have a direct impact on MSMEs by creating opportunities in auxiliary services, contract manufacturing, distribution, and other support services within the value chain. As a State Department, we welcome this launch and look forward to Kenya taking its place as a leading hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing, health innovation, and medical supply chains in Africa

Yesterday we visited Governor Matt Meyer of the State of Delaware in the United States of America to discuss opportunities for collaboration to support the growth of the MSME sector in Kenya. In our discussion we explored emerging opportunities, including educational exchange programmes for skills, knowledge and technology transfers; key agricultural value chains, including the poultry value chain, which is predominant in Delaware State; and the tech start-ups and AI investments, as well as connecting the US investors to Kenyan MSMEs through matchmaking. Governor Meyer has a passion for Kenya's MSME sector, having founded a social enterprise in Korogocho, Nairobi – Ecosandals – in 1995, which made sandal footwear from recycled tyres, creating jobs and providing a sustainable source of livelihood in the community. After arriving in Kenya on an Undugu Society mission, he impacted livelihoods in the poor neighbourhoods. Meyer also established an e-commerce platform to market the Korogocho-made sandals to the global market. Today the Ecosandal brand is a global brand courtesy of his vision. Governor Meyer commended the renewed attention that the government under President H.E. Dr William Ruto has placed on the MSME sector and expressed his readiness to become a champion of the Kenyan MSMEs in the USA by fostering strategic partnerships and collaborations. Earlier in the day, we paid a visit to the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) Delaware chapter, a program of the Small Business Administration, a U.S. government agency, which supports the growth and scaling of small businesses. We met with the SBDC Delaware State Director, Michael Bowman and her deputy, Ms Ariel Gruswitz, who took us through the SBDC model. The SBDC Delaware chapter is hosted at the University of Delaware and focuses on building the capacity of small businesses in the State of Delaware by offering them business advisory services, including training, coaching, counselling, and linkages to financing and guaranteed markets. The SBDC model will greatly inform the sustainability framework for the early-stage enterprises started by the NYOTA business support beneficiaries with a goal of securing their growth and resilience. Our State Department looks forward to domesticating the SBDC model in Kenya and establishing a supportive ecosystem that enables the growth of MSMEs.