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How NCBA Is Empowering SMEs to Build Stronger and More Resilient Businesses
Every thriving economy depends on people bold enough to build before certainty arrives. Entrepreneurs wake up every day carrying ideas, ambition, responsibility, and the hope of creating something bigger than themselves.
Across Kenya, small and medium-sized enterprises continue to power economic activity. They create jobs, drive innovation, support communities, and keep industries moving. From manufacturers and retailers to logistics firms and agribusiness owners, SMEs remain at the heart of the country’s economic growth.
Yet behind every successful business is an entrepreneur navigating uncertainty, managing operational pressures, and making difficult decisions in highly competitive markets.
It is this reality that continues to shape how NCBA Group supports SMEs not just through financing, but through long-term business empowerment.
NCBA Expands Support Beyond Financing
While access to capital remains critical for SMEs, NCBA Group believes entrepreneurs also need leadership skills, strategic networks, mentorship, and practical business knowledge to scale sustainably.
This commitment recently came to life through the graduation of 17 entrepreneurs under the 2026 Cohort of the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP), delivered in partnership with Strathmore Business School.
The programme reflects NCBA’s broader vision of walking alongside entrepreneurs through every stage of growth by investing in both the business and the individual behind it.
Since its launch in 2016, the Enterprise Development Programme has supported 354 SME banking customers, helping create a growing network of entrepreneurs equipped to build stronger and more future-ready businesses.
How NCBA Is Empowering SMEs to Build Stronger and More Resilient Businesses
Building Entrepreneurs Through Knowledge and Leadership
Over a 16-week period, participants undergo an immersive learning experience focused on practical business strategy, leadership development, executive coaching, peer learning, and market insights.
The programme brings together entrepreneurs from sectors including manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics, retail, and professional services — industries that continue to fuel Kenya’s economy through innovation and employment creation.
Rather than offering only financial products, NCBA Group has positioned itself as a long-term growth partner for SMEs by creating ecosystems where entrepreneurs can learn, connect, and build confidence.
The initiative also recognizes that entrepreneurship can often feel isolating, especially for business owners carrying the responsibility of sustaining livelihoods while trying to grow.
By creating spaces for collaboration and shared learning, the programme allows entrepreneurs to exchange experiences, sharpen decision-making skills, and prepare for the realities of scaling businesses in changing economic environments.
Strengthening Communities Through SMEs
The impact of SME empowerment extends far beyond individual businesses.
When entrepreneurs gain the right tools and support systems, businesses become more resilient, jobs are created, and communities become economically stronger.
Through programmes such as the Enterprise Development Programme, NCBA Group continues to reinforce the idea that supporting SMEs is ultimately about supporting people, families, and communities across the country.
As the latest cohort graduated alongside Strathmore Business School, the moment represented more than the completion of a programme. It highlighted the growing role of Kenyan entrepreneurs in shaping a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient economy.
For NCBA, the goal remains clear empowering entrepreneurs with the knowledge, confidence, and opportunities needed to build businesses that can thrive well into the future.
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