Base Titanium, IIA partner to support local entrepreneurs

The MoU will see Base Titanium harness and increase opportunities for local suppliers within Kwale County where the firm mines titanium ores.

Kenya’s  largest mine- Base Titanium has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with not-for-profit organisation and private sector growth catalyst Invest In Africa.

The MoU will see Base Titanium harness and increase opportunities for local suppliers within Kwale County and Likoni Sub-County which are central to its operations.

The company mines Titanium ores in the Kenyan coastal region.

According Base Titanium’s Finance and Administration Manager, Sami Chalwa, the partnership was informed by a study Base commissioned in 2016 to identify gaps in the local content supply chain, after the company noticed that fewer local businesses were applying for tenders.

The study by German development agency GIZ also provided a framework and recommendations to help local businesses’ increase their capacity to compete for tenders.

Some of the recommendations included providing financial capital to businesses, entrepreneurial development and improving access to information.

Mr. Chalwa said:“Following the recommendations by GIZ, we have put in place systems to ensure local suppliers have access to Base’s tender opportunities as well as conducting numerous workshops to ensure better understanding of expectations.  We look forward to working with Invest in Africa to improve this further”.

In Kenya, Invest In Africa is already working with other large organisations including Tullow Oil and Equity Bank to ensure Kenya has a stronger and more sustainable business value-chain.

This is being done by linking opportunities for supply of goods and service to local smaller businesses.

As local content continues to be an increasingly important part of the Kenya business supply-chain, 67 per cent or US$20.2 million (Ksh2.03 billion) of Base Titanium’s expenditure is spent on local suppliers annually with US$13.9 million (Ksh1.4 billion) paid to Kwale-based suppliers since start of operations in 2014, averaging US$3.3 million (Ksh335 million) per year.

The National Economic Survey report by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) indicates that Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMES) constitute 98 per cent of all business in Kenya while creating 30 per cent of the jobs annually.

These support 75 per cent of the total workforce with the trends showing the significance of SMEs in growing the economy.

In support of the Big our Agenda, the president pledged to find solutions to the issues affecting SMEs as they will be key drivers to ensuring sustainable economic growth.

“Base Titanium, together with Invest in Africa are working to meet this end,” the two said in a joint statement on Tuesday.