New Microsoft portal links SMEs to experts

Jua kali artisans at work. Small businesses can now access professional services like accounting through Biz4Afrika.co.ke. PHOTO | FILE 

By OKUTTAH MARK

In Summary

• The online hub, Biz4Afrika.co.ke links start-ups and SMEs to professionals like accountants.
• Services of Biz4Afrika are offered in a ‘freemium’ format, whereby basic services are provided free of charge while more advanced features must be paid for.

Access to professional services such as accounting, legal, human resource and marketing are some of the challenges that stifle growth of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya.

GroFin, a development financier specialised in financing and supporting small and growing businesses in Africa and the Middle East, indicates that more than 70 per cent of SMEs fail during their first three years of operation.

GroFin notes that access to appropriate business finance or capital, business services and assistance and an enabling environment are the three main challenges that start-ups face.

To ensure survival of businesses, Microsoft, through its 4Afrika initiative has launched an online portal which links start-ups and SMEs with various firms offering professional expertise.

The online hub, Biz4Afrika.co.ke Kenya is set to benefit many entrepreneurs, contributing to job creation, global competitiveness and wealth creation.

“The Biz4Afrika.co.ke online hub aims to meet the needs of every start-up, SMEs at three entry points; the start, growth and acceleration phase by aggregating freemium offers and relevant online services, complemented by valuable information, resources and learning in one place,” said Kunle Awosika, the country manager of Microsoft Kenya.

A similar online portal was launched in South Africa in 2013.

Mr Awosika said Microsoft has so far enlisted 55 partners among them banks, which are ready to offer loans to the SMEs. Under the arrangement, the registration for the start-ups and SMEs is free.

Microsoft said that it will vet firms that intend to offer services to the SMEs and start-ups and one of the criteria is that the companies must be ready to offer free services for the first six months.

“The baseline services of Biz4Afrika are offered in a ‘freemium’ format, whereby basic services are provided free of charge while more advanced features must be paid for,” Mr Awosika said.

He said this will enable SMEs to become familiar with pay-as-you-go services that help entrepreneurs maximise their productivity while minimising costs. SMEs can also join the hub as service providers to other businesses, thereby building a pipeline of potential clients.

In the past year alone, Microsoft has seen 150,000 SMEs go online across Africa to offer and to use ICT services.

Darius Waithaka, the head of SME Solution Centre at Kenya Institute of Management said the online hub will play an important role in creating a conducive environment and harmonise policies that encourage the growth of the SME sector.

It will also provide healthy competitiveness to ensure quality and affordable access to markets, technologies, financial services among others, hence promoting and enabling smooth cross-border trade.

Microsoft has launched several programmes targeted at SMEs including BizSpark, an e-commerce portal in partnership with Skrill, and Africa’s first Intellectual Property Hub in Kenya to help entrepreneurs protect and monetise their innovations.