The Kenya Small Business Development Centers starting operation in 2022 with funding from United States Agency for International Development with a mandate to champion both public and private-sector-led development to enable SMEs participate fully in the economy and create jobs.
This will be achieved through the establishment of an accredited network of Kenyan Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Centers that will be supported by the National and County Governments, Private Sector Institutions of Higher Learning, Business Associations, and other Not-For-Profit Organizations.
The project takes the best practices in business development and advisory services from the U.S. Small Business Development Center (SBDC) model and transfers them to a local network of county-based business centers.
This local network of centers adapts and implements the SBDC’s accredited training curriculum and proven methodology for supporting small businesses. The project also builds linkages between Kenyan and American MSMEs to transfer best practices and proven models from the U.S. SBDCs to Kenya’s county-based business centers.
This helps Kenyan MSMEs take advantage of local and export market opportunities, have improved access to finance, apply market analytics, and benefit from a supportive business-enabling policy environment at the county level ultimately, strengthening Kenya’s economic competitiveness and generates positive impacts (jobs, livelihoods, and incomes) for the Kenyan people.

Our Objectives
1) Establish a certified network of small business development centers (SBDCs) to provide subsidized to no-cost technical advisory/business support services.
2) Establish long-term sustainability and support mechanisms for the centers.
3) Increase the awareness and capacity of MSMEs to tap into local and foreign export markets.
4) Ensure effective inclusion and participation of women, youth, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
5) Build linkages between U.S. and Kenyan small and medium enterprises, transfer best practices and proven models from the U.S. network to Kenya.