NAIROBI: Chase Bank announced plans to initiate an interactive Web portal and Business Club Kilele Planet. The portal aims at enabling a networking platform for SMEs so that they have easy access to auditors, lawyers, tax specialists, trainers, industry specialists and so on. According to Chase Bank, Kilele planet will offer SMEs dynamic and interactive tools such as website purchases, airtime bundles for cloud storage and office use. With reference to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) statistics, SME sector employs about 80 percent of the country's total workforce and contributes over 20 percent to the GDP, so the bank says Kilele Planet will also seek to develop Kenya's workforce through SMEs. According to Paul Kukubo, Kenya is showing promising traits in the entrepreneurial private sector and it is now better positioned towards the automation of about 60 percent of Kenya's SMEs. To demonstrate how technology will act as a key factor to this proposition so as to boost the economy, the bank has sought to invite accredited guests in the industry to its forthcoming launch such as: Paul Kukubo CEO at Kenya ICT Board and Dr. Gachigi, Director of the University of Nairobi Science and Technology Park.
