The National Bank of Kenya (NBK) in partnership with Aqua for All, a non-profit organization that provides grant money to scale and implement solutions that address drinking water, sanitation, and/or water management have launched a close to US$ 45.3M program to support water sanitation and hygiene services providers in Kenya.
The program, which comprises of Jenga Biashara loan and Infrastructure project loan seeks to cater to the financial needs, efficiencies, sustainability, and growth of water sector enterprises, institutions, and communities.
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Groups that are expected to benefit from the program include micro, small and medium enterprises, corporates, public and private entities, vendors, technology providers, and suppliers of products and services within the water, sanitation, and hygiene value chain up to the last-mile connectivity for communities and individuals.
Commitment to support water sanitation and hygiene services providers in Kenya
Speaking at the launch of the program, the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Andrew Tuimur affirmed that the National and the County governments will continue to promote good corporate standards in Water Sanitation Programmes (WSPs) and ensure the establishment of a regulatory environment that recognizes the providers of commercial finance.
He also reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to multi-stakeholder partnership for water resources management and service provision in the East African country.
Paul Russo, the NBK Managing Director, on the other hand, restated the bank’s commitment to providing tailor-made products and services to a variety of SMEs’ needs to ensure long-term growth. He also urged all SMEs in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sector to take advantage of the opportunities presented under the program to help them address the financial gaps in their operations.
