Global entrepreneurship summit 2015 gets Sh10 M boost from KCB

The upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit which begins this weekend has received a shot in the arm with Sh 10 Million sponsorship from KCB Bank.

This is the sixth edition of the summit that was launched by USA President Barrack Obama in 2009 to help advance the entrepreneurship agenda around the globe.

The summit that brings together business owners, educators, policy makers, innovators and investors to support the growth of new enterprises in developing African nations is will be a plat form for Kenya and Africa at large to spark entrepreneurship and economic growth.  

According to KCB Chief Executive Officer Mr. Joshua Oigara KCB remains committed to the African Agenda and is optimistic about the continent’s future potential in the area of entrepreneurship, innovation and supporting our regional legacy projects to drive national development and economic prosperity. 

The Summit, Mr Oigara said, offers a significant opportunity to showcase entrepreneurship in Kenya and by extension Africa. “For us, this is a platform for the Bank to demonstrate its strong impact and heritage in Africa and its future commitment to the Continent” said Mr Oigara adding a number of multi-million dollar strategic initiatives and projects have been formulated and implemented, while some are scheduled to deepen financial inclusion and grow entrepreneurship on the continent, thereby transforming the lives and experiences of households and businesses.  

“We have a long history in East Africa, remain committed to the African Agenda and we are optimistic about the continent’s future potential in the area of entrepreneurship, innovation and supporting its regional legacy projects to drive national development and economic prosperity” he said.

Over the past few years, the Bank has invested more than US$1Billion (Sh 100Billion) in socio-economic developments across the region, effectively boosting entrepreneurship. 

The Pre-Global Entrepreneurship Summit Expo will be held from 22 - 24 July at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC). The event comes ahead of the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 25 - 26 July 2015. 

Since 2010, when the U.S. hosted the first Summit in Washington, GES has expanded to a global event, subsequently hosted by the governments of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Morocco. Nearly 7,000 entrepreneurs and investors applied for the 2015 event.

Delegates were chosen to balance geographies, industries, and level of expertise; as well as entrepreneurs and potential investors.

The Pre-Global Entrepreneurship Summit Expo covers mainly Kenyan innovators. GES 2015 is being held for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa and will revolve around financing start-ups, expanding networks, sourcing capital and opening up trade. Discussions will also focus on intellectual property, intra-regional trade and attracting venture capital and private equity.