Google announces Shs1 million grant for Kenyan small businesses.

Kenya’s small micro and medium businesses are scheduled to benefit from a USD 10 million funding from Google, which will help them recover economically in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The monies will support SMEs all around South Africa. Kiva, a California-based non-profit, will operate Ghana and Nigeria through two local financial service companies.

The funds would be disbursed in the coming weeks, according to Agnes Gathaiya, Google Eastern Africa Country Director.

The details of how to apply for the loans have yet to be revealed by Google.

Google announced intentions to invest $1 billion in Africa’s digital revolution, allowing for faster and more affordable internet access as well as supporting entrepreneurship throughout the continent, just a week ago.

While great achievements have been achieved in internet connectivity in Africa, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, emphasized that more work was needed to make the “internet accessible, affordable, and helpful for every African.”

“I’m excited to reaffirm our commitment to the continent through an investment of $1B over five years to support Africa’s digital transformation to cover a range of initiatives from improved connectivity to investment in startups,”

Grow with Google

Google announced its Grow with Google project in 2017, with the goal of teaching 10 million young Africans and small businesses in digital skills.

As part of Google Arts & Culture’s ongoing commitment to conserving and sharing Kenya’s heritage, the tech giant has inaugurated an online exhibition devoted to photojournalist Mohamed Amin’s life and legacy.

Over 6,000 photographs and more than 50 stories represent a visual journey of the key moments, places, and people that he documented in the late 20th century, and the year-long digitization project shines a light on four decades of the Kenyan photojournalist’s career