The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) is a state corporation under the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development. It is mandated to promote, develop and regulate micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Kenya.
MSEA is operationalising Constituency Industrial Development Centres (CIDCs) to promote industrial activity in the constituencies across Kenya. To date, the Authority has refurbished and equipped 120 CIDCs with modern common user manufacturing facilities. To reduce postharvest losses and enhance the value of agricultural produce, MSEA is constructing three modern cold storage facilities. To unlock the entrepreneurial capacity among the youth, MSEA has supported 11,619 youth through the issuance of a business start-up grant.
MSEA has also entered into several partnerships with financial institutions and development partners to collaborate on MSEs financial empowerment, advisory services, capacity building and market access opportunities. This is in line with the Authority’s strategy, which is pegged on the framework of partnerships with the private sector to facilitate substantial development outcomes for MSEs.
In partnership with UNDP, the Authority has established the infrastructure and hardware necessary to facilitate the registration of MSE associations. Registration will facilitate targeted government interventions across the MSE sector, as well as guide Government policy and planning initiatives.
MSEA has been facilitating MSEs to access local, regional and international markets and expose their products far and wide. However, following the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an accelerated shift towards a more digital world. To revitalise the MSE sector, the Authority is moving with urgency to ensure MSEs seize the opportunities offered by e-commerce as the world moves from pandemic response to recovery.
During this duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, MSEA has been supporting enterprises in various ways. It has been providing the Government with real-time information on the disruptions in the markets across the country, through the command centre for the Covid-19 response endeavour.
