This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
On August 21, 2019, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) signed a significant financing agreement worth US$ 1,500,000.
This funding marks TMEA's initial support for KEPSA's 5-year Public-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) programme, which seeks to enhance trade and investment conditions for Kenyan businesses, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.
The programme has six focus areas, including transport and logistics, trade facilitation, customs and tax, standards and SPS, trade logistics cluster, and technical support for efficient public-private sector dialogue frameworks.
Ms. Brenda Mbathi, Chair of KEPSA's Public-Private Dialogue, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Board Committee, expressed her delight at the partnership, stating, 'KEPSA and TMEA's partnership has strengthened over the years, and we are thrilled that TMEA has committed to supporting our PPD work.'
KEPSA aims to leverage its membership, particularly business associations, to implement the grant's objectives, which include fostering policy interventions to catalyse growth of trade and investment for Kenyan businesses and strengthening the private sector's capacity for better coordination of strategic public policy dialogue.
TMEA's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Frank Matsaert, emphasized the importance of building platforms where the private sector can voice real and pertinent issues, enabling development partners and governments to devise solutions that respond to real needs.
Mr. Ahmed Farah, TMEA-Kenya Country Director, highlighted the private sector's role as the engine of economic growth, stating, 'The PPD for trade and investment programme will give a voice to the private sector, which is the engine of our economy and goes hand in hand with our interest to catalyse a 25% annual increase in exports.'
