By Shadrack Nyakoe
Absa Bank Kenya has today hosted 200 business leaders in Kisumu for a Business Club Forum as part of the Bank’s Western Kenya Caravan.
The forum concluded the week’s activities across the region with other engagements held to empower Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) in Bungoma, Busia, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, and Homabay.
The sessions focused on networking and engaging SMEs with industry leaders to enable them to thrive and grow.
Speaking during the forum in Kisumu, Absa Bank Kenya Head of Small and Medium Enterprise, Erastus Muthura, highlighted the Bank’s commitment to supporting SMEs, including women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs)-led SMEs.
“At Absa, we believe that every story is unique and therefore support our clients with financial and non-financial skills to scale their businesses. As a Bank, we provide access to sustainable finance, information, markets and coaching and mentorship. We ensure that we provide platforms through which we can interact like this one convened by the Business Club. As a Bank, we are present in 12 countries across Africa and are encouraging our customers to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the different markets in the continent,” said Mr. Muthura,
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For his part, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kisumu Chapter Chairman, Israel Agina, lauded the Bank for its initiative to reach SMEs and highlighted the key role they play in the economy.
“SMEs play an important role in our communities and are important for the sustenance of our supply chains. We are grateful to Absa for their support today as we discuss issues of resilience and for supporting SMEs during the tough economic times,” Mr. Agina said.
Absa Bank Kenya, through its Business Club, has been empowering entrepreneurs in the country, equipping them with the necessary skills to thrive in the volatile business environment.
The bank has hosted similar forums in Nakuru County, Mombasa County, Nyeri County and is set to hold similar business forums in the Rift Valley region in the coming week.