30th Nov, 2021 – Nairobi

In the month of September 2021, The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) unveiled a the Centre of Entrepreneurship (CoE) through a virtual launch.

The CoE aims at fostering development skills for young people who face uncertain employment prospects.

The Deputy Director, Global partnerships and development at ICC Mr. Gabriel Petrus is in the country with a focus on the hub implementation since Nairobi is the host of the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship hub for East and Central Africa region.

Today afternoon, the ICC Deputy Director paid a courtesy visit to the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI ) and was received by Chamber 1st Vice President Dr. Erick Rutto alongside KNCCI Company Secretary Mr. Kihara Njuguna, Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samuel Matonda and KNCCI Management team.

The courtesy visit was followed by an interactive session and pitching for SMEs dubbed “ haba na haba hujaza kibaba” and themed ‘ Listening, building and transforming Eastern Africa together’ at the Four Points Sheraton hotel in Hurlingham, Nairobi. This session attracted 60 entrepreneurs from the manufacturing, ICT and energy sectors.

Chamber 1st Vice President Dr. Erick Rutto in his remarks urged all the SMEs to take up networking as a key pillar in transforming their businesses into bigger powerhouses expressing that he is glad that Kenya is home for innovation.

The Deputy Director Global Partnerships & Development at ICC Mr. Gabriel appreciated the warm reception from KNCCI, Investera Plus Africa and Kenya as a whole.

He stated that the Centre of Entrepreneurship is meant to inspire prospects to become entrepreneurs, scale up start-ups and create market access.

KNCCI CEO Mr. Samuel Matonda remarked that the Centre of Entrepreneurship hub reflects the aspirations of Africa’s agenda that is expected to transform Africa’s economic transformation.

On the other hand KNCCI Nairobi Chairperson Mr. Julius Opio expressed his joy in having Nairobi as the centre of the hub and noting that this will create more opportunities for start-ups to scale up their business through various innovations.

Additionally, KNCCI ICT committee Chairperson Mr.Ramah madiba stated that the Centre will serve as a platform to scale globally the most successful local and regional entrepreneurial initiatives driven by Chambers of Commerce and Innovative partners, leveraging on digital connectivity to pair entrepreneurs with experts from the UN and ICC’s global network.

The session was moderating by Chief Operating Officer Mr. Patrick Nyangweso who introduced the guest speaker, Partners and KNCCI leadership to the audience to familiarize themselves and establish a rapport for the session.

Also present at the session was KNCCI partner- Investera Plus Africa who play a critical role in bringing together businesses, government entities and investors from Africa. Investera Plus Africa envisions to enhance Africa’s economic prosperity through the centralization of the day-to-day business operations between businesses, investors, government entities and the general public.