About MESPT
- Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust, Tausi Lane 01, Westlands
- Nairobi P.O Box 187 - 00606 Kenya
- +254 722 207905 / 735 333154
- info@mespt.org
On Thursday 11th November 2021, MESPT unveiled its 4th Strategic plan 2021-2025. The Trust developed its first strategic plan in 2005. The second and third strategic plans were five-year plans covering the periods 2010-2014 and 2015 – 2020. The new plan was developed through a consultative process with stakeholders in the development and finance sectors. The plan acknowledges the changing environment in all fronts (global, regional and local) and has given MESPT an opportunity to rethink its vision, mission and values.
MESPT board chairman noted with satisfaction that the feedback received from our diverse stakeholders and the level of consultation that went into this new strategic plan makes the final output a good roadmap for the Trust for the next five years.
The launch was a celebration of the culmination of the fruitful consultation and collaboration. He further explained that the commitment of MESPT is to live it vision of ‘Building a prosperous society’ by positively impacting the lives of Kenyan communities. “The Trust is on a mission to provide sustainable business development and financial solutions to small holder farmers and Agri SMEs in Kenya. MESPT’S goal is to maintain a hard-working spirit and exemplify the organization as a performance – driven organization while continuing to uphold the values of Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Inclusion, and sustainability”, he said.
As enablers of development, MESPT’s new Strategic plan provides a comprehensive roadmap on how our development work will respond to pressing economic, environmental, and social challenges such as Climate Change, Access to Finance, Food Safety, and Women & Youth unemployment. This new strategic direction will not only contribute to Kenya’s Big 4 Agenda, and the blueprint Vision 2030 but also to at least 12 global Sustainable Development Goals.
Delving deeper to the new Strategic Plan, MESPT has identified four (4) priority thematic areas which will inspire our work for the next 5 years. The priority areas include, (1) agri enterprise development (MSMEs), (2) access to finance, (3) agricultural productivity & food safety, and (4) green transformation. Each thematic area has clearly spelt out strategies whose full implementation will facilitate the transformation of lives through sustainable livelihoods and economic growth for MSMEs.
Additionally, MESPT will be addressing four cross-cutting themes for growth to be inclusive and equitable. We will continue to make deliberate efforts to integrate women and youth in all our development interventions and ensure Gender Equity, Youth Employment, Technology and Human Rights.
The Strategy demonstrates MESPT’s commitment to facilitate creation of 5,000 decent jobs, establishment, and growth of at least 100 sustainable agri-enterprises, integration of at least 75,000 smallholder farmers in targeted value chains, increasing agricultural productivity and food safety for 75,000 households, increasing awareness, investments & adoption of green and ecofriendly technologies as well as expanding financial access and inclusion for the growth of MSMEs.
Speaking on behalf of the founders, the Ambassador of Denmark to Kenya H.E Ole Thonke reiterated the Embassy’s support to MESPT’s work for the next 5 years. In his address, he noted that there are 3 significant areas in MESPT Strategic Plan that resonate with the challenges in Kenya right now. They include, job creation for youth and women especially as we are coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the financial inclusion especially the new strategy of reviewing the interest rate downwards which will enhance creation of more jobs and allow access of finance to more rural farmers in Kenya and finally the green transition responding to climate change. He stated that MESPT’s approach to climate change mitigation and adoption perfectly matches what Denmark and their work with Kenya centres around.
The European Union Delegation to the Republic of Kenya representative Mr. Adolfo Cires Alonso sighted that the game plan was good focusing on increasing access to markets and access to finance to SMEs which are areas of interest for the EU. The County governments representative Hon. Mathews Chirasha, CEC for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development, Bungoma County Government on the other hand noted that in all the counties where MESPT is implementing programmes, they have absolute trust in MESPT’s development model and ethics in doing the job. Furthermore, he expressed that the new strategy is futuristic and resonates with the national and counties government plan in all the thematic areas.
In the colourful ceremony graced by many dignitaries and stakeholders, the Chief Guest Hon. Betty Maina, CS Ministry of Trade, Industrialization and Enterprise Development speech read on her behalf by Henry Rithaa, the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) CEO, lauded MESPT as a champion for Smallholder Farmers and Agri-SME Growth through their work in capacity building, business advisory services, agricultural financing solutions, value-chain and market systems development. The CS congratulated MESPT for consistently working and building a portfolio of Sh6.2 billion sustainable financing which has so far been disbursed to 36 Financial Institutions and benefited 250,000 end-users through 55 financial products and most commendable the creation of over 70,000 jobs.
MESPT will leverage greater strategic partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders from both the private and public sectors as the key ingredient to achieve the desired results in this new strategic plan. The Trust is keen to cultivate, nurture and strengthen relationships with development partners, key government ministries, the county governments and private sector to support the delivery of the launched plan.