Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) recognizes the contributions of small and medium enterprises for their exceptional achievements towards industrial transformation and output, employment generation and job creation, export, sustainable economic growth and other distinguished contributions and development towards business competitiveness to realize national growth.
The Chamber Strategic direction on enterprise support includes:
- Promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital economy;
- Improving access to finance to support business expansion and development of SMEs
- Creating an inclusive business ecosystem that supports SME growth
- Expanding market access and increasing ability to join global value chains for SMEs.
The Kenya Business Awards 2019 is an initiative by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) that seeks to recognize SMEs domiciled in Kenya that have shown outstanding performance in various aspects of their business; and support of the national agenda towards the Big4 agenda. This initiative is set to promote excellence and stimulate positive competition, showcasing the achievements attained by outstanding Small Medium Enterprises businesses. In line with the Government’s commitment to develop homegrown enterprises along the Big 4 Agenda, the exercise seeks to recognize companies and entities for their visionary leadership, trade skills, resilience, innovation towards enterprise growth and sustainability, market development and overall business competitiveness. The Kenya Business Awards 2019 are fully endorsed by Kenya Government Business & Trading Arms and The Presidency through the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Industry.
Kenya Business Awards 2019 Objectives:
- To recognize the role and contributions of outstanding businesses towards the nation and the economy;
- To motivate and inspire home-grown businesses to aim for excellence in their products and services;
- To celebrate and highlight the achievements of local enterprises that have contributed to the business growth of the community;
- To identify and recognize successful activities and initiatives undertaken to promote enterprise and entrepreneurship;
- To create a greater awareness of the role entrepreneurs, play in society and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs.
Why SMEs?
- Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are important actors in the transition as they play a role in fostering income equality and ensuring that the benefits from technological change and globalization are more broadly shared.
- SMEs make up 98% of our enterprises, employ two-thirds of our workforce and account for about three quarters of our GDP.
- They are the base from which many successful brands have emerged.
- Today, many of the successful companies we see today started as SMEs, before they became large, multinational companies.
Awards Categories
- Best Customer Experience
- Most Innovative Award
- Community Impact Award
- SME Friendly Financial Institution
- Women In Business
- Youth in Business
- Best SME Support Award
- Best New Business
- Most Aligned to the Big Four Agenda (Housing)
- Most Aligned to the Big Four Agenda (Food Security and Nutrition)
- Most Aligned to the Big Four Agenda (Health)
- Most Aligned to the Big Four Agenda (Manufacturing)
- Development Partner Award
- National Government Award
- County Government Award
- KNCCI County Chapter Award
- SME of the Year Award