Small traders need support from counties

The tremendous trade opportunities that have come with devolution in Kenya can only be realised if county governments focus on supporting value addition in small and medium enterprises in the counties.

While there is no doubt that devolution is working, many of the counties are yet to embrace investors since leaders have neither aggressively engaged in creating new ideas that would attract investors nor put in place monitoring mechanisms to ensure trade ventures that they come up with are followed through.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, through our many engagements and expertise, has noticed that the existing trade opportunities in the country in general and counties in particular require a lot of joint initiatives between the national government, county governments, financial institutions, business bodies, professional bodies, trade bodies and development partners.

KNCCI is now focused on assisting county governments tap into existing business opportunities offered by its members both locally and its partners globally so that counties become business centres, especially through strong SMEs and conducive legal regimes that attract investments. The chamber is fully convinced that counties need strategic partners and sound business guidance by professional bodies and the business community to adopt business models for running their affairs.

BUDGET ANALYSIS

As per the recently launched Chamber Strategic Plan (2016-2018), we have established a full department for county programmes that will spearhead trade and business development at county level through reviewing business plans from counties, budget analysis, inter-county trade business opportunities, trade fairs and exhibitions and, more importantly, helping business people, counties and public-private partnerships. We want to support counties develop SME models borrowing from our experience.

There is serious need for counties to showcase to the business community, and local investors, available opportunities for the diaspora, ethical media responsibility to the public, opportunities for PPPs and how the business community can assist in making the counties more marketable.

Already, KNCCI has signed an MoU with the Council of Governors that has been very instrumental in showcasing counties’ top avenues for businesses by minimising taxes and regulations, preserving the right to work and avoiding negative signals that drive private enterprise away from the counties.

The KNCCI is committed to promoting a stable business climate in the counties, reviewing business legislative agenda and providing working solutions, for both the private sector and county governments.

It’s important that counties are assisted to establish conducive business development policies, align their investment policies to the national government’s overall development goals, promote ease of doing business, market access opportunities, promote county to county trade cooperation, reduce investment constraints and work directly with private stakeholders and county administrations.

The writer is the chief executive officer, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry