Kisumu county gears up for major expo targeting SMEs

KISUMU, KENYA: Business is perhaps the wheels of any economy and Kisumu County will be unpacking the rich avenues and channels in the Business Expo planned to run from Friday 30th October  to  Sunday 1st November at Jomo Kenyatta Grounds.

Sharing a word on the event that is expected to showcase the potentials of Small and Medium Enterprises,  (SMEs), Industrialization and Trade CEC Dr. Rose Kisia said the SME sector constitutes more than 80 percent of the county’s business and the County’s aim is to ease up and improve things for most traders in the county of Kisumu.

“Aside from the major retail chains and the big businesses, most of Kisumu’s traders are in the SME category and as a county we are looking at ways of making doing business easier to them,” said Dr. Kisia.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Kisumu Business Expo, she said the county government is interested in growing the sector as a means of empowering traders in the county.

“When we build this sector, we improve the livelihoods of our traders and expand our revenue collection avenues which will result in better services for county residents,” added Dr. Kisia.

The Business Expo that is co-sponsored by the County Government of Kisumu aims at showcasing products and services by traders in the county from various sectors. Some of the country’s established brands from the financial, educational, agricultural and other sectors which will also be exhibiting at the expo which has been billed as 'one of a first in Western Kenya'.