Nation Media Group's annual SME conference kicks off in March
From left: Nation Media Group CEO Stephen Gitagama, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi, Leather Apex Society of Kenya secretary-general Beatrice Mwasi and NMG Chairman Wilfred Kiboro at KICC on February 24, 2020 during the launch of a special weekly SME pullout.
The second edition of Nation Media Group's (NMG) annual SME conference kicks off on March 18 this year, giving small businesses another front row seat on global best practices in a bid to take their enterprises to the next level.
The three-day conference and expo will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) between March 18 and March 20, 2021. The annual event is being convened in partnership with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI), the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa), Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) and the Jua Kali Association.
This year's conference, themed 'Resilience, Recovery and Sustainability', will capitalise on the opportunities and innovations available to MSMEs to help them win.
NMG chief executive officer, Mr Stephen Gitagama, said SMEs will showcase their products at the summit and also be exposed to export opportunities. The expo will also have SME clinics, business sustainability coaching, financial empowerment and support.
"This economy is significantly driven by SMEs and a number of them were affected in 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have structured this year's conference to help in recovery and sustainability," Mr Gitagama said.
"A number of SMEs will come and show how they have managed to deal with the effects of the pandemic and offer opportunities for others to learn," he added.
The NMG boss said the expo will also offer SMEs an opportunity to dialogue with government regulators and facilitators as well as give them exposure to available SME guarantee schemes, networking and digital communication opportunities.
NMG says the conference builds on the momentum of the inaugural one that was convened under the theme, 'Powering SMEs for Growth' on February 24 – 25 last year. The last edition attracted 6,000 participants, 91 exhibitors and parastatal heads, and was graced by seven Cabinet Secretaries including Interior CS Fred Matiang'i. It was co-hosted by KNCCI President, Mr Richard Ngatia. Business leaders, policy makers, diplomats, innovators, researchers, young entrepreneurs, and students, among others were also at the event.
The second edition will examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on SMEs and MSMEs. It will focus on what has worked, explore the tremendous resilience of SMEs that has been on display, and look ahead at how to emerge from the crisis.
Due to the Covid-19 protocols, only selected continental leaders and Kenya-based experts will participate in-person.
