Barclays Kenya commits to connect women to international trade

Barclays Kenya has partnered with the International Trade Center (ITC) to link 10,000 women entrepreneurs in Kenya to export markets through the SheTrades initiative.

Women in Kenya now have a platform to participate in the lucrative export business. This is thanks to the partnership of ITC and Barclays Kenya. The duo has committed to have 10,000 women entrepreneurs in this country involved in the global supply chain.

The expertise of the two institutions will be complementary in delivering on this promise. ITC, a subsidiary of the World Trade Organization (WTO), will offer beneficiaries technical assistance on breaking into the export market. Meanwhile, Barclays Kenya will be involved in offering financial services.

Programs by Barclays to finance women entrepreneurs are already online. The bank has a sh.30 billion credit line called ‘Wezesha Biashara na Barclays’. This product encourages women to not only apply for cheap loans but also gain from financial literacy seminars being conducted countrywide. In addition to this, Barclays has a sh.5 billion credit line exclusive to Kenyan women entrepreneurs.

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So how exactly do ITC and Barclays Bank of Kenya plan to connect 10,000 women entrepreneurs to export markets? This will be possible through the SheTrades platform; developed by a Kenyan ICT firm. SheTrades was launched with the aim of having 1 million women be part of the global supply chain by 2020. 10,000 of these will, of course, be Kenyans.

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SheTrades is a mobile and web application that will make it easier for women entrepreneurs to connect to markets beyond Kenyan borders. It’s invaluable yet so straightforward. As a woman entrepreneur, you will let the market know what your company offers. This will enable you to expand your networks by availing opportunities for partnerships and new business.

To be part of this, you simply have to create an account on SheTrades official website. You can then take advantage of your visibility to play a big role in the export business. Kenya’s exports were valued at sh.5 billion in 2015; grab your share.