The CS for the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action recently held a consultative meeting with the Women Enterprise Fund Board and the PS for State Department for Gender to review the status of the implantation of the WEF digital lending platform. Earlier this year, the President launched the fund’s digital product to enhance financial inclusion. Speaking the launch of the product, the President urged more women to embrace entrepreneurship, start and expand their businesses through borrowing from government funded organizations such as the WEF.
In the Kenya Kwanza Women Charter, President Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza government committed to provide financial and capacity building for women led Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. At the rebrand this past March, the President urged Kenyan women, as individuals and in groups to repay their loans on time to grow their credit score and increase their financial strength. In numerous occasions, the President has insisted that an empowered woman is an empowered community.
At the recent meeting with the CS and the WEF Boards, it was reported that Ksh.830.56million has been disbursed to 16,714groups across the country, Ksh.41.5million as group savings with Ksh. 40.4million being repaid. The fund continues to pave way for thousands of women across the country, encouraging more women to be brave in their endeavors. The government and the Ministry of Gender has made a commitment to continue to educate women, to facilitate their growth through development of infrastructure such as the plans to build more than 400 markets in the country, through reforms in the agricultural sector, through projects such as the free Wi-Fi Hotspots throughout the country that will enable more women to access digital lending platforms and much more.
Hon. Aisha Jumwa also commended the board and management for the progress on the digital platform. She also challenged them to deploy strategies to enhance recovery for loans advanced under the manual and the digital platform for sustainability of the Fund.