NATIONAL BANK OF KENYA LAUNCHES ‘NIA’ TO EMPOWER WOMEN IN BUSINESS

National Bank of Kenya launches ‘Nia’ to empower Women in Business

By Douglas Muriithi

NBK has launched a new initiative aimed

at empowering women entrepreneurs in

the country. Dubbed “Nia” the

initiative seeks to provide women owned

and women led enterprises with access

to financial support, capacity

building, and mentorship to enable them

sustainability grow their businesses

and achieve their full potential whilst

creating new job opportunities and

scaling the national economic

contribution.

The NBK Women in Business Value

Proposition is a strategic move by the

Bank to support women-led businesses in

the country, even as it recognizes the

critical role that women play in

driving economic growth and

development.

Through the Nia Offering, Women

Enterprises will have accelerated

access to financing from the KShs 5B

Shillings NBK Majikonnect Program

supporting Water, Sanitation and

Hygiene, with African Guarantee Fund

collateral cover for up to 75%, and the

KShs 2Billion Shillings NBK

Elimukonnect Program supporting the

Education Sector and Schools.

The Nia Offering will provide a range

of financial solutions, including

business loans, asset financing, and

overdraft facilities, to help women

entrepreneurs meet their business

needs. The programme will also offer

technical assistance to help them

develop their business plans, improve

their financial management skills, and

enhance their marketing and branding

strategies.

“The new service seeks to provide women entrepreneurs with access to financial support, capacity building and mentorship to help them grow their businesses”

Speaking during the launch, NBK

Managing Director George Odhiambo said

the lender is committed to supporting

women-led businesses and empowering

women entrepreneurs in the country. In

this regard, the launch of Nia is a

significant step towards achieving this

goal and driving economic growth and

development in Kenya.

“We are excited to launch Nia, which is

part of our commitment to supporting

women-led businesses in Kenya. We

recognize that women entrepreneurs face

unique challenges in accessing finance

and growing their businesses. Our goal

is to offer them the support they need

to overcome these obstacles and

achieve their full potential. By

providing women entrepreneurs with the

resources they need to succeed, we hope

to create a more vibrant and

prosperous economy for all,” said Mr.

Odhiambo.

To ensure the success of Nia, the Bank

will also offer mentorship support to

women entrepreneurs. As part of the Nia

Offering, the bank has also launched

“You’ve Got business”, a digital

property connecting upcoming female

entrepreneurs with experienced business

leaders who will offer guidance and

advice on how to grow their businesses

and overcome any challenges they may

face.

“We have worked with our partners to

co-create the ‘You’ve Got Business

show’ to give a platform for aspiring

entrepreneurs to pitch their business

ideas to a panel of Kenyan business

moguls who can either fund their

businesses or offer mentorship where

they cannot invest. The show is in line

with NBK’s initiative that aims at

creating job opportunities for the

youth and skilling them for self-

employment while at the same time

providing funding, nurturing and

mentoring future entrepreneurs.” Mr.

Odhiambo concluded.

The Nia Offering is open to all women

entrepreneurs in Kenya, regardless of

their sector or industry and will be

available at every stage of development

National Bank has a long-standing

commitment to diversity, equity, and

inclusion, and the launch of its women

proposition products and services is

the latest step in its efforts to

support underrepresented groups in the

business community.