Deal between Dutch NGO and state agency to benefit 20, 000 businesswomen

Small-scale businesswomen in Arid And Semi Arid Land (ASAL) areas will benefit from a deal between a Dutch NGO and a state agency.

About 20, 000 women in 12 counties will gain from in capacity-building and financing following an MoU signed between the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) yesterday in Nairobi.

Harm Duiker, the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation Country Director -Kenya, and Ms Mumina Bonaya, the Chair, Advisory Board and Women Enterprise Fund exchange copies of the MOU soon after signing. [PHOTO: COURTESY]

The two organisations are targeting to boost the capacity of women entrepreneurs especially in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors. Beyond funding, the partnership will see massive mobilisation and introduction of women into sound and competitive businesses. Women will also be trained in assorted entrepreneurship skills, a prerequisite of accessing the affirmative funds from WEF.

In this arrangement, SNV Kenya through its project “Enhancing Opportunities for Women Enterprise,” SNV will also empower the women in their marketing and financial literacy skills.

“This partnership will tremendously unlock the potential of women. Enabling them to take charge of their affairs effectively,” noted Ms. Mumina Bonaya, the Chair, Advisory Board at WEF.

On its part, WEF will roll out funds to eligible entrepreneurs who would have been trained by SNV. The MoU, which targets women who are the bottom of the pyramid, will run for four years.

 “Our experience shows that funding is not enough. Women entrepreneurs need to be well trained to be able to manage the funds, be accountable and competitive in their production and marketing,” said Ms Bonaya.

SNV Kenya will specifically provide business training to women enterprises in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors preparing and building their capacity to access and effectively use funding from WEF.

“This programme will ride on the existing projects that SNV is implementing. We have big projects in renewable energy and agriculture, especially dairy. We want to empower women as last mile distributors especially of solar products and also as producers of dairy including camel milk,” said Harm Duiker the SNV Country Director, Kenya. 

Through this arrangement, it is expected that the number of women accessing funding for businesses will increase.

“It will also improve the performance of their businesses, making them viable and profitable,” added Sabdiyo Dido who is SNV’s Global Manager for the programme that runs in Kenya and Vietnam.

The partnership will also focus on facilitating market linkages for women owned enterprises through events such as trade fairs. SNV is targeting to reach 20,000 women through this partnership. It is also forging other partnerships with county governments.

This programme will support women enterprises in 12 counties. These are: Samburu, Narok, Kajiado, Laikipia, Isiolo, Marsabit, Baringo, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, Taita Taveta and Wajir counties.

SNV and WEF will help women to form cooperative societies and Saccos because small-scale businesswomen seem to thrive best in social groups where they support each other, boost members’ confidence and provide social protection, said Ms. Bonaya.

“At the end of the MoU our desire is to see women entrepreneurs who are stable in their business which should grow from small scale to mid-level. That way we will be able to bridge the poverty gap and empowered society accordingly,” said Ms. Dido.