Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Enterprise Development Ecosystem

For many years, the business development services (BDS) landscape has been characterised by fragmented interventions, uncoordinated actors, and a lack of standardised curricula and quality assurance mechanisms. This has limited the effectiveness of business development support services and undermined the growth potential of many MSMEs nationwide.

This morning, Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary, State Department for MSMEs Development, chaired a strategic meeting with the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), led by Principal Secretary Dr Esther Mworia, and GIZ to advance a transformative partnership to strengthen Kenya's enterprise development ecosystem by accrediting Business Development Service (BDS) providers and standardising business development service providers.

The State Department for MSMEs Development is establishing a robust accreditation framework to standardise the curriculum delivered to entrepreneurs, provide Training of Trainers (TOT) certification for BDS providers, and ensure that enterprise development services meet nationally recognised quality standards.

The State Department looks forward to the official launch of the Accreditation framework and a standardised curriculum at the World MSME Day celebrations at the end of June 2026