GENEVA
Access to finance and export expertise for small businesses in East Africa is set to receive a boost under a new partnership between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Equity Group Holdings, which aims to strengthen regional value chains in coffee, leather and the creative industries.
According to an ITC statement issued June 2, the organizations signed a memorandum of understanding to combine ITC’s trade development expertise with Equity Group’s regional banking network and Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The initiative will begin with a pilot program in Kenya through December 2026 before expanding to other East African markets from 2027.
“We know that access to finance is critical for small businesses, but it has to be matched with the right skills to use it effectively,” ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said.
“That’s why we’re partnering with Equity Bank to ensure small businesses across East Africa can tap both financing and trade expertise to move up the value chain and compete in global markets, from leather to the creative industries,” she added.
The partnership focuses on three sectors viewed as having strong export potential while addressing some of the barriers that have limited the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to unlocking the immense potential within Africa’s value chains by connecting entrepreneurs, producers and creatives to regional and global markets,” Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi said.
Equity Group operates banking subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, giving the initiative a platform for regional expansion.
Mwangi said the collaboration would combine access to finance, trade intelligence, capacity building and market linkages to help entrepreneurs expand into regional and global markets.
In the coffee sector, ITC will deliver training between June and September 2026 under the European Union-funded Market Access Upgrade Programme Phase II.
The program will cover export logistics, price risk management, specialty coffee quality and processing techniques.
The partners will also help coffee and leather exporters meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, which introduces new compliance standards for products entering the EU market.
For the leather industry, the partnership will support a midterm review of the East African Community Leather and Leather Products Strategy 2020-2030.
Planned activities include product design coaching for footwear businesses, standards harmonization across East African Community partner states and support for online sales through e-commerce platforms.
The creative industries program will cover music, film, gaming, digital media, performing arts, fashion and crafts.
It will begin with sector mapping and market assessments before expanding into business development support, market access initiatives and financing solutions.
Businesses participating in the program will also gain access to ITC’s trade market intelligence tools and its SME Trade Academy, an online learning platform designed to help small businesses build export capacity.
