Meet The Panel :Mary Ngechu, Group Managing Director, Line Plast Group of Companies. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Mary: We have invested on capacity building to help them in learning new skills, business re-modelling,financing and mentorship. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Joanna: As Kasha, we started off as a Direct to Customer model but as we've scaled we started selling in bulk to re-sellers especially through digitization. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Habil: The critical thing about data is that it enables the assessor to substantiate the credit worthiness of the borrower. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Digitalization will power the mSME structure and talk to the changing customer behavior, especially during the pandemic where we witnessed a 70% growth year on year in e-commerce since 2020. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Joanna: Partnerships have assisted and facilitated access to capital to very small mSMEs. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Mary: We are recommending capacity building to mSMEs especially in the agro-processing value chain. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Mary: Are we able to come up with tools to evaluate deliverables that we are promising as the government. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Habil: Most mSMEs lack access to capital due to lack of collateral. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Shehrya: @MastercardMEA has set up cybersecurity software in their digitization models. This is all backed by data and technological innovation. #NMGLeadershipForum

Mary: Most mSMEs are not ready to access the credit guarantee fund. This is because simple tasks like data and book keeping have not been clearly done. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Mary: We have a medium space mSMEs that are targets for equity partners. We need to categorize and tailor solutions to all players in the SME sector. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Habil: There is access of financing at appropriate pricing for mSMEs. There are frameworks that help financiers assess companies for financing through proper assessment. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Shehryar: @MastercardMEA is providing financial literacy tools to support mSMEs especially when it comes to set-up, management and scaling of their businesses. #NMGLeadershipForum

Joanna: Being able to come to investors with data and projections for your company determines the scaling of your business. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Shehryar: We're tracking our Carbon footprint through our solutions where our customers are able to then be part of the larger sustainable agenda. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Shehryar: Corporate governance stems from a business model in both short and long term. The main question is how that business will be sustainable. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Habil: Willingness to pay is a key factor when it comes to assessing the risk of lending to the mSMES. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

Joanna: Focusing on women is a massive business opportunity as there is a huge market opportunity for women in business and STEM. #NMGLeadershipForum @MastercardMEA

On #TheVoice tomorrow, we bring you a story of Maasai mothers breaking cultural norms and challenging teen marriages. This shift defies traditions that perpetuated early marriages and limited opportunities for girls. Grab a copy of the #DailyNation to learn more. #NationGender