Access to markets and upskilling of jua kali artisans are some of the priority areas of the industry lobby's first-ever strategic plan.
The five-year strategic plan by the Kenya National Federation of Jua Kali Association also seeks to strengthen member representation, link the lobby with stakeholders and the government besides improving production and competitiveness in the sector.
The association on Wednesday said it is targeting 30 per cent procurement opportunities for its members in both private and public entities.
Chief executive Richard Muteti said they will be lobbying for opportunities in the State's affordable housing programme.
"We would like the government to buy 30 per cent of its procurement needs from the sector. We are also lobbying the private sector to buy from us," said Mr Muteti.
The strategic plan will also extend to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions where trainees will be attached to the associations through industrial attachment.
"This plan defines a new era for the sector," said Muteti.
The lobby, Mr Muteti added, also seeks partnerships with counties. This is in addition to having strategic partnerships with Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) and Micro and Small Enterprises Authority(MSEA).
"We are collaborating on agro-industrial parks in all counties," he said.
The federation is also eyeing partnerships with KCB Bank Kenya and Zamara on financial services.
The launch of the strategic plan was presided over by the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Micro and Small Enterprises Development Susan Mang'eni and the newly elected President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Eric Rutto.
Mang'eni reiterated the government's commitment to growing the sector and cementing its contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She noted the challenges the sector faces like low adoption of technology and setbacks in access to finance, saying there are specific interventions to counter them.
"The jua kali sector has not reached its full potential," she said, adding that the national government has a local content policy of 40 per cent on procurement.
She cited the Hustler Fund as one of the interventions, saying the platform provides alternative funding to more than seven million individuals who could otherwise not access credit in mainstream financial institutions due to negative listing by the credit reference bureaus.
The fund was recently upgraded to enable groups of 10 to access credit for business purposes.
"We have 154,000 groups that have been created," she said. "In the next few months, we are also looking to make it possible for individual enterprises to borrow."
She said micro, small and medium enterprises contribute about 90 per cent of all jobs created in the country.
To further address financing challenges for small businesses, the department is in the process of coming up with a start-up bill.
Mang'eni said the State Department will also be soon launching its strategic plan.
Dr Rutto said in support of the sector, his office will offer expertise on monitoring and evolution, which will take stock of the implementation of the strategy.
The chamber, he added, will also facilitate the federation's efforts to access more markets.
"We are going to form a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) committee at the chamber," said Rutto.
