Executive: Partnership vital

THE Government’s small-medium enterprise (SME) policy will fail unless there is a workable partnership between the public and private sectors, says a company executive.
Francis Steven, chief executive of Eco-Tourism Consultancy Services which advocates for SME and good governance, said cooperation was needed to drive the growth of SMEs. The National asked him for his view on the Government’s plan to have 30,000 SMEs by 2030.
It has allocated K200 million in the Budget for that. “The Government needs to work with us, non-government organisations and churches, so we advocate first,” he said.
Steven said people must understand the roles of local level governments, district development authorities, the National Executive Council and provincial executive council.
“People do not understand how to get advice and the criteria to meet the (requirements) of banks to access funds.”
Steven said there are different types of SMEs and there should be a clear guide on which SME were eligible to have access to the SME loan scheme.
“We have urban SMEs and rural SMEs. In the urban areas you have settlements which people do business to earn money,” he said.
“When they talk about the K200 million, it is not known which institutions the fund will actually be parked in.”
Steven said different banks have their own processes which SMEs would have to follow.