Christine Kagendo 
- For EAC MSMEs to scale, financing must meet them where they are, says Absa Bank Kenya
Absa Bank Kenya delivered this message during a key panel at the 25th EAC MSMEs Trade Fair (Nov 10-11, 2025), titled “Unlocking access to finance and markets: Key enablers for scaling MSMEs in the region.”
The key to unlocking the potential of East Africa’s small businesses lies in taking financing and support directly to them, rather than waiting for them to walk into a bank.
Held at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the trade fair’s theme focused on “25 Years of EAC Integration: Advancing Innovation and Regional Value Chains for Competitive MSMEs Towards Sustainable Development.”
In his opening remarks, CS Oparanya emphasised that this aligns with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“MSMEs contribute about 30% to Kenya’s GDP and create over 90% of jobs, yet still face challenges such as limited market access, financing gaps, and climate-related disruptions,” Dr. Oparanya stated, celebrating the impressive turnout of over 3,000 exhibitors from across East Africa.
The panel discussion, a key feature of the day, zeroed in on these financing gaps. Representing the banking sector, Elizabeth Wasunna-Ochwa, Absa Bank Kenya’s Director of Business Banking outlined the institution’s evolving approach to supporting small and medium enterprises.
Wasunna explained that banks are moving beyond traditional methods to engage with SMEs more directly. “The biggest thing that we have done differently… is to say, let’s have conversations with SMEs, not in our offices, but in the grounds wherever they are,” she said.
She highlighted two critical shifts, a push towards unsecured lending, backed by credit guarantee funds to de-risk the process for banks and a focus on providing business knowledge and training, not just capital.
“There are two basic principles that we must be able to embrace to ensure that we are walking the journey with SMEs. One is to provide sustainable financing for SMEs, and two is to make sure that SMEs have the non-financial support for them to truly grow into corporates of the future,” Wasunna noted.
The panel also stressed the importance of SMEs integrating into larger corporate value chains and leveraging digital tools to access new markets, echoing regional initiatives like Burundi’s upcoming national e-commerce strategy.
This year’s EAC MSMEs Trade Fair, held in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), featured a High-Level Ministerial Roundtable focused on unlocking opportunities for MSMEs and promoting youth-led innovation and enterprise development.
The discussions would inform a communiqué to the EAC Heads of State Summit, advocating for greater regional support for MSME growth and scalability.
The Kenya Day event featured high-level delegates, including AfCFTA Secretary General H.E. Wamkele Mene, ITC Executive Director Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton and UN Resident Coordinator Stephen Jackson, underscoring the critical role of MSMEs in driving regional economic integration and sustainable development.
Other dignitaries included Secretary to the Kenyan Cabinet Mercy Wanjau, PS State Department for Trade, Regina Ombam and PS State Department for Cooperatives Patrick Kilemi, as well as Board Directors of State Agencies, CEOs of MSEA, Kenya Bankers Association(KBA), Uwezo Fund, and Financial Inclusion Fund.
