ITC, Equity Group sign MoU for East Africa value chains

The International Trade Centre (ITC) and Equity Group Holdings have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance inclusive and sustainable economic development across East Africa, with Kenya serving as the initial focus. The partnership will concentrate on three high-growth sectors, coffee, leather, and the creative economy with the objective of expanding their commercial potential.

The agreement brings together ITC's expertise in global trade development and Equity Group's extensive pan-African financial network, supported by its Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP). The ARRP is a six-pillar strategy designed to foster growth in key areas, including agriculture and food, manufacturing, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), technology, and social impact investments.

Equity Group operates banking subsidiaries across six African markets: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said, “We know that access to finance is critical for small businesses – but it has to be matched with the right skills to use it effectively. That’s why we’re partnering with Equity Bank to ensure small businesses across East Africa can tap both financing and trade expertise to move up the value chain and compete in global markets, from leather to the creative industries.”

The partnership will be launched in Kenya through a pilot programme that will run until December 2026, after which it is expected to be extended to other East African countries from 2027.

As part of the agreement, ITC and Equity Group will cooperate on a range of initiatives across the coffee, leather and creative sectors.

In the coffee industry, ITC will leverage the European Union-funded Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) II in the East African Community to provide practical training between June and September 2026. The training will cover export logistics, price risk management, specialty coffee quality and improved processing practices.

The partnership will also assist producers and businesses in complying with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which sets sustainability requirements for coffee and leather products entering the EU market.

Within the leather sector, the collaboration will contribute to the midterm review of the EAC Leather and Leather Products Strategy 2020–2030, with an emphasis on enhancing regional value addition. Planned interventions include product design mentoring for footwear MSMEs, harmonising standards across EAC Partner States and expanding digital market access through e-commerce platforms such as Etsy, eBay and Shopify.

The creative industries segment, encompassing music, film, gaming, digital media, performing arts, fashion and crafts, will begin with sector mapping and market assessments. These efforts will be followed by business development support, market access programmes and customised financing solutions.

In addition, businesses participating in all three sectors will have access to ITC's trade market intelligence tools and the SME Trade Academy, the organisation's online platform that provides training and capacity-building resources for small businesses.

Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr James Mwangi said, “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to unlocking the immense potential within Africa’s value chains by connecting entrepreneurs, producers and creatives to regional and global markets. Through our Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, we are intentionally investing in sectors that create jobs, expand exports and drive inclusive economic transformation. By combining access to finance, trade intelligence, capacity building and market linkages, we are building an ecosystem that enables MSMEs in coffee, leather and the creative economy to scale sustainably and compete globally. Our ambition is to ensure that MSMEs are not merely participants in trade, but competitive actors capable of shaping global markets through quality, scale and innovation”.