Equity Group Holdings and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to deepen financial inclusion and advance gender equity within Kenya’s fisheries sector. The partnership, announced in Nairobi on 25 May 2026, brings together the financial services strength of Equity Bank Kenya, the social impact expertise of Equity Group Foundation and the global advisory capabilities of MSC to address structural gaps in the fisheries value chain. Key interventions include tailored financial products aligned to fisheries production cycles, climate-smart insurance mechanisms, cold storage infrastructure, digital tools and entrepreneurship training for women and youth. The initiative targets a wide range of beneficiaries — from small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers to traders, processors and exporters — and will begin implementation in Kenya with plans to scale across other markets where Equity operates.
Key Overview
- Partners: Equity Group Holdings (Equity Bank Kenya + Equity Group Foundation) and MSC (MicroSave Consulting)
- Agreement type: Strategic Memorandum of Understanding
- Focus areas: Financial inclusion, gender equity, climate resilience in fisheries
- Target beneficiaries: Fishers, aquaculture farmers, traders, processors, feed producers, exporters
- Key interventions: Tailored credit products, insurance mechanisms, cold storage, digital tools, training
- Initial market: Kenya, with plans to scale regionally
- Alignment: Kenya’s Vision 2030, National Blue Economy Strategy 2025–2030, African Union Agenda 2063
- Equity Group Q1 2026 net profit: KES 19.1 billion (up 24% year on year)
Equity Group Holdings and MicroSave Consulting have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to tackle some of the most persistent barriers facing Kenya’s fisheries sector — limited access to credit, inadequate storage infrastructure, weak market linkages and the exclusion of women and youth from formal financial systems. The partnership, signed in Nairobi, combines Equity Bank Kenya’s financial products and distribution network, Equity Group Foundation’s social impact and capacity-building programmes, and MSC’s global research and advisory expertise to create what both organisations describe as a platform for impact at scale.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr James Mwangi said the partnership aligns with Equity’s long-term vision of transforming livelihoods through inclusive finance, technology and strategic collaboration. “The fisheries sector represents a significant but underexploited opportunity. Through this collaboration, we will not only expand financial inclusion but also advance gender equity, strengthen food systems, and support climate resilience,” Mwangi said.
He noted that the initiative would help modernise the fisheries and broader agricultural sectors by integrating digital technologies and data-driven decision-making. “We are transforming agriculture and fisheries from subsistence activities into vibrant economic sectors. By leveraging digital public infrastructure and AI, we aim to elevate these sectors from traditional, informal engagements into modern economic engines that attract capital, improve productivity, and create inclusive opportunities,” he added.
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Why Fisheries — and Why Now
The timing of the partnership is significant. Kenya’s fisheries sector currently contributes approximately 0.7 per cent to the country’s GDP, with production reaching 168,000 metric tonnes valued at KES 39.6 billion in 2024. Despite the country’s vast freshwater and marine resources, domestic fish production falls well short of demand, leaving an annual deficit of approximately 450,000 metric tonnes that is partly filled through imports.
The Kenyan government has signalled aggressive ambitions for the sector. The National Blue Economy Strategy 2025–2030, launched in February 2026 by Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Ali Hassan Joho, aims to raise the sector’s annual earnings from KES 40 billion to KES 350 billion by 2030, while increasing fish production to more than 450,000 metric tonnes. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has separately stated that the government targets expanding the blue economy’s GDP contribution from KES 37 billion to KES 80 billion annually by 2026, and to KES 150 billion by 2027.
Major infrastructure investments are also underway. The KES 2.6 billion Shimoni Fish Port on Kenya’s south coast, which includes a modern jetty, fish processing plant, cold storage and ice-making facilities, is designed to anchor the country’s marine fisheries ambitions. Kenya is also set to host the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa from 16 to 18 June 2026, further positioning the country as a regional leader in sustainable ocean governance.
Yet despite these ambitions, small-scale fishers, traders and processors along the value chain continue to struggle with limited access to affordable credit, lack of insurance products tailored to their seasonal income patterns, poor post-harvest infrastructure that results in significant losses, and weak connections to formal markets. These are precisely the gaps the Equity-MSC partnership aims to address.
What the Partnership Will Deliver
Under the MoU, the programme will deploy a range of interventions targeting players across the entire fisheries value chain, from small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers to traders, processors, feed producers and exporters. Equity Bank will design and deliver financial products aligned to the sector’s unique production and income cycles, while MSC will lead on research, baseline assessments and capacity building, including training both sector participants and Equity staff on fisheries dynamics. Equity Group Foundation will complement these efforts through entrepreneurship training, mentorship and ecosystem linkages.
Key interventions include joint training programmes to foster a business-oriented mindset, development of climate-smart financial solutions, deployment of cold storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, and creation of insurance and guarantee mechanisms to de-risk lending to the sector. The programme will also support graduation pathways designed to transition small-scale operators into sustainable commercial enterprises and expand market access through partnerships across the value chain.
MSC Group Managing Director Graham A.N. Wright said the renewed collaboration comes at a critical moment. “With climate change and global disruptions threatening food security, I cannot think of a better powerhouse than Equity Bank and the Equity Group Foundation to address these challenges,” Wright said. “We aim to create an environment where risks are managed, data is available, and stakeholders — from fishers to traders — can make informed decisions.”
Equity’s Broader Transformation Ambitions
The fisheries partnership sits within Equity Group’s wider Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), a $6 billion initiative launched in 2022 that targets social and economic transformation across the continent. The ARRP is built around six strategic pillars — food and agriculture, extractives, manufacturing and logistics, trade and investment, MSMEs, and social and environmental transformation — and aims to bring 100 million businesses and consumers into the digital and financial economy by 2030.
Equity Group enters the partnership from a position of considerable financial strength. In Q1 2026, the group posted a net profit of KES 19.1 billion, a 24 per cent increase year on year. Its balance sheet expanded 16 per cent to reach KES 2.04 trillion, supported by a network of 22.7 million customers, 86,910 agency outlets and 1.4 million merchants. The group’s 2030 strategy under the ARRP targets expansion to 15 countries and 100 million customers, with deployment of next-generation digital and AI-enabled financial systems. Over 98 per cent of customer transactions are now conducted outside physical branches, with 88.4 per cent processed through purely digital channels.
Dr Mwangi framed the fisheries initiative as part of this broader transformation. “As we progress toward our 2030 ambitions, we are evolving beyond traditional banking into a Transformation Finance Institution that mobilises capital, connects ecosystems, and accelerates inclusive, sustainable prosperity across Africa,” he said.
Initial implementation will begin in Kenya, with plans to scale to other markets where Equity operates upon successful execution. The partnership aligns with Kenya’s Vision 2030, the National Blue Economy Strategy, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 through its focus on sustainable resource management, climate resilience and the development of integrated value chains.
Sources: Capital FM / Bizna Kenya / Radio Kaya / Feed Business MEA / Blue Life Hub / News9 Africa / The Standard / HapaKenya / The Observer Uganda / AllAfrica / Tech-ish / Khusoko / Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa
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