Susan Auma Mang’eni, Principal Secretary for the State Department for MSMEs Development, appealed to securities exchanges across Africa to deepen ties with micro, small and medium enterprises during the opening of the Africa Commerce & Industry Summit 2026 hosted by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
She stressed that MSMEs form the core of African commerce and industry, creating jobs and opportunities especially for young people and women, yet their expansion is hampered by scarce affordable finance.
Mang’eni urged exchanges to move beyond conventional listing services and to actively assist MSMEs in improving corporate governance, adopting innovation, raising productivity and satisfying capital-market entry criteria.
She noted that readying firms for stock-exchange listings and other market instruments would unlock sustainable funding, enable business growth and generate employment.
The official also challenged the summit organisers to give priority to enterprises led by youth and women throughout the three-day event, pointing out that Kenya needs roughly 1.2 million jobs each year and that the MSME sector is expected to supply at least 70 per cent of those positions.
Mang’eni reaffirmed the State Department’s pledge to strengthen cooperation with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, focusing on building enterprise capacity, widening market access and enhancing the competitiveness of Kenyan MSMEs.
She concluded that lasting collaboration among government, business membership bodies and capital-market institutions is vital to turn MSMEs into investment-ready, productive firms that drive inclusive growth, create decent jobs and raise Africa’s standing in global trade.
