NCBA and Strathmore Business School (SBS) have certified 38 small and medium enterprise (SME) NCBAcustomers after taking part in the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP). The cohort comprised entrepreneurs from diverse sectors, including manufacturing, retail, agribusiness, logistics, and professional services.
The EDP, which is NCBA’s overall SME banking strategy, aims to equip entrepreneurs with the necessary business skills, leadership skills, and strategic mindset to succeed even in challenging market conditions. This capacity-building programme also seeks to develop the base of SMEs and position them for long-term sustainability.
“We are delighted to empower our SME customers through this programme. We are hopeful that these skills will be helpful to them in scaling their enterprises and as they navigate the dynamic business environment. NCBA remains committed to Kenya’s economic growth. As a financial institution, we extend our services beyond financial support to our customers to facilitate sustainable growth of their businesses,” said NCBA Acting Group Director, Retail Banking, Dennis Njau.
The financial institution has ramped up its efforts on capacity building initiatives for SME customers following the recently signed partnership with African Guarantee Fund.
“This graduation comes at an opportune moment following NCBA’s recently renewed 10-year partnership with Africa Guarantee Fund (AGF), with the lending capacity doubled from Ksh 1.5 billion to Ksh 3 billion to eliminate SMEs’ challenges, such as inaccessibility to financing,” said Njau.
The six-month EDP programme consists of a specially curated curriculum designed by Strathmore Business Schoolstrikes a balance between academic work and experiential, hands-on training in financial management, operations, marketing, business model innovation, and digital transformation.
Along with peer-to-peer learning and the advantage of networking, the programme capitalises on collaboration and market intelligence. This program has so far benefited over 100 customers to scale their businesses.
Dr. Caesar Mwangi, Executive Dean of Strathmore University Business School, said: “We are proud of the collaboration we have with NCBA, and its impact on the business community. This programme is designed to deliver meaningful and contextualised learning experiences that address real-world business challenges facing SMEs in Kenya today.”
NCBA is inviting its customers to enrol on future cohorts, with the next programme opening on 10th June 2025.
To be eligible for the programme, one must:
- Be an NCBA customer with an active business account that has been operational for at least six months.
- Have a business that has been operating for two to three years, employs more than three people, and has an annual turnover of KES 3 million or more.
- Be the primary decision-maker in the business and the majority shareholder.