NCBA and Strathmore Business School (SBS) certified 38 small and medium enterprise (SME) NCBA customers after taking part in the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP). The cohort comprised entrepreneurs from diverse sectors, including manufacturing, retail, agribusiness, logistics, and professional services.
The EDP, which is NCBA’s overall SME banking strategy, aims to equip entrepreneurs with the necessary business skills, leadership skills, and strategic mindset to succeed even in challenging market conditions.
This capacity-building programme also seeks to develop the base of SMEs and position them for long-term sustainability. “We are delighted to empower our SME customers through this programme. We are hopeful that these skills will be helpful to them in scaling their enterprises and as they navigate the dynamic business environment,” said NCBA Acting Group Director, Retail Banking, Mr. Dennis Njau.
“NCBA remains committed to Kenya’s economic growth. As a financial institution, we extend our services beyond financial support to our customers to facilitate sustainable growth of their businesses,” he added.
38 NCBA Group’s SME customers graduate from Strathmore Business School Enterprise Development Programme
The financial institution has ramped up its efforts on capacity building initiatives for SME customers following the recently signed partnership with African Guarantee Fund.
“This graduation comes at an opportune moment following NCBA’s recently renewed 10-year partnership with Africa Guarantee Fund (AGF), with the lending capacity doubled from KES 1.5 billion to KES 3 billion to eliminate SMEs’ challenges, such as inaccessibility to financing.” Dennis Njau reiterated.
The six-month EDP programme consists of a specially curated curriculum designed by Strathmore Business School strikes a balance between academic work and experiential, hands-on training in financial management, operations, marketing, business model innovation, and digital transformation. Along with peer-to-peer learning and the advantage of networking, the programme also capitalises on collaboration and market intelligence. This program has so far benefited over 100 customers to scale their businesses.
Dr. Caesar Mwangi, Executive Dean of Strathmore University Business School, underscored the collaborative power of the partnership between the two institutions.
“We are proud of the collaboration we have with NCBA, and its impact on the business community. This programme is designed to deliver meaningful and contextualised learning experiences that address real-world business challenges facing SMEs in Kenya today.”
NCBA continues to invite its customers to enrol on future cohorts, with the next programme opening on 10th June 2025. To be eligible for the programme, one must:
● Be an NCBA customer with an active business account that has been operational for at least six months.
● Have a business that has been operating for two to three years, employs more
than three people, and has an annual turnover of KES 3 million or more.
● Be the primary decision-maker in the business and the majority shareholder.
Alongside EDP, NCBA and Strathmore Business School collaborate to develop and implement various capacity-building initiatives that empower SMEs and MSMEs to drive business growth through the Strathmore Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Centre.
Some of these initiatives include the Owners Management Programme, networking and thought leadership forums, business training boot camps, conferences, and trade expos.