SMEs trained on their role in green climate

Small and Medium-sized Entreprises (SMEs) have been urged to enlighten themselves on ways to access funding from the county and national governments to help achieve green climate.

Speaking in Nairobi at a World Environment Day pre-event, Salina Sanou, the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) Head of Programmes, said the world could not ignore the role SMEs played in emissions, hence the need to incorporate them in the climate justice fight.
“We need to link SMEs to climate change and support them and incorporate them in the fight against effects of the crisis,” she said.

Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) Corporate Strategy and Planning Manager Monica Kotut said there was more opportunity for all to play in ensuring the reduction of emission and adaptation to the climate crisis.

“You cannot ignore the magnitude of job opportunities SMEs create, and also their contribution to the amount of gas the SMEs emit, and therefore actors must involve them in the reduction of air pollution,” said Ms Kotut.
KIE is a Government body with a presence in all 47 counties, and which is tasked with financing, nurturing, offering workspace and business advisory services to SMEs.

Ms Sanou appreciated the partnership PACJA had with KIE and asked counties to actively involve their communities in decision making and work in partnership with interest groups to defeat the climate crisis.
“You cannot fight this crisis alone, you must partner with others for maximum impact. Let’s explore all available opportunities,” said Sanou.
Up to 50 participants are attending the two-day workshop facilitated by KIE and PACJA. The participants are drawn from SMEs and targeted Government and other institutions in preparation for the World Environment Day to be marked on June 5. This year’s World Environment Day’s theme is “Air pollution”.

PACJA Executive Director Mithika Mwenda, while addressing the participants, said unity was key in ensuring climate justice. He asked climate justice champions and their partners to continue believing in the worthiness of the course, stay united in the fight against the climate crisis, ensure more numbers joined them in their commitment.

“We are doing quite well in regards to climate change. The main question is how we are going to include SMEs in the climate change arena,” said Mr Mithika, adding: “We have the right policies as a nation, such as the green economy strategy, national climate policy and the act itself.”
Mithika, who was recently declared one of the top 100 world’s most influential people on climate justice, said there were massive opportunities in the climate crisis, and that the green jobs contributed to the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.
After we build the knowledge here, what are we going to do with that knowledge?
How do we support SMEs? We need to take advantage of rural industrialization through partners like KIE, which has networks all over the country. We are not looking at climate change as a problem now but as an enormous opportunity,” he said, urging champions to seek climate crisis solutions from the communities in the grassroots.

Stephen Cheboi, the Kenya Platform for Climate Governance (KPCG) Chair, said climate justice champions worldwide must build the capacity of youth and gender groups as well as that of counties on green climate finance.
The PACJA and KIE workshop that also involved Youth 4SDGs rode on the theme: “Sustaining SMEs in Changing Climate for Inclusive Green Growth”. The theme is in line with World Environment Day’s “Air Pollution”.