Government, World Bank-Backed KJET Project Rolls Out Transformative BDS Training for MSMEs

By James Nyaigoti

The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) has commenced structured Business Development Services (BDS) training for the first cohort of the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) Project. The initiative, financed jointly by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank at a total cost of USD 150 million, aims to strengthen the competitiveness and long-term growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The programme, implemented under Component 2 of the KJET Project, focuses on enhancing productivity in key MSME clusters while supporting enterprises through targeted co-investment and capacity-building interventions. The current training sessions are taking place in Kiambu and Kajiado counties, and involve enterprises drawn from Ndumberi Dairy Farmers Cooperative, Limuru Dairy Cooperative Society, and Preco Concrete Limited.

Principal Secretary for MSMEs, Susan Mang’eni, who presided over part of the training, emphasized the critical role MSMEs play in Kenya’s economic structure. She described the BDS programme as a transformative step toward addressing long-standing barriers that hinder enterprise growth, particularly within the “missing middle” segment.

“MSMEs constitute 98% of all businesses in Kenya, yet many remain trapped at the micro level,” she noted. “Countries that have advanced economically—such as South Korea—built strong enterprise competitiveness early on. While they now have more than 500,000 enterprises capable of generating five or more quality jobs, Kenya stands at approximately 75,000.”

The PS stressed that strengthening MSMEs is essential to generating sustainable employment, especially given the country’s rapidly growing youthful population.

Members of the Ndumberi Dairy Farmers Cooperative expressed their appreciation for the government-supported intervention, noting that the training is already improving their understanding of governance, financial management, and productivity enhancement.

A representative from the cooperative said:

“We are grateful to the government for bringing this programme to the grassroots. The training is intensive and the consultants are highly qualified. This is only the beginning, and we expect it to significantly strengthen our processing capacity, improve our operations, and help create more jobs.”

The first cohort consists of 30 participants, with plans to extend the training benefits to the entire membership through internal knowledge-sharing sessions.
Trainers facilitating the sessions described the participating groups as highly enthusiastic and ready to adopt new business practices. They highlighted the programme’s potential to help enterprises scale and advance into more productive levels of operation.

“The trainees are committed and eager to grow their cooperatives,” one of the consultants observed. “This initiative addresses a critical gap by supporting micro and small enterprises to move upward and participate more competitively in the economy.”

PS Mang’eni noted that the KJET Project is deliberately aligned with value chains that hold significant domestic and regional potential. The dairy sector, she said, is one such area, given its large and expanding market within the East African region.

“By unlocking competitiveness and enabling enterprises to scale, we strengthen the economy’s capacity to absorb youth and stimulate sustainable growth,” she added.

The BDS training is part of a broader national strategy to support MSMEs, improve productivity, and diversify Kenya’s economic base. MSEA continues to encourage media coverage of the programme to spotlight success stories and highlight its impact on communities.

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