REMARKS
by
PPRROOFF.. NNJJUUGGUUNNAA NNDDUUNNGG’’UU
GOVERNOR
CENTRAL BANK OF KENYA
SSOOLLIIDDAARRIIDDAADD’’SS AACCHHIIEEVVEEMMEENNTT OOFF
IISSOO 99000011--22000088 CCEERRTTIIFFIICCAATTIIOONN

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
Mayfair Hotel, Nairobi
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa
Expertise Centre (SECAEC), was officially
established in September 2008 in Nairobi,
Kenya with the vision to be a regional leader
in combating structural poverty amongst
producers in Africa and promoting social and
environmental sustainability - This is what I
term binding constraints in our economies. Its
mission is to facilitate the smallholder
producers to produce commodities in an
economically, environmentally and socially

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
sustainable manner that ensures good market
access, improved prices and high incomes for
better quality of life.
To achieve this, SECEAC is working in the
Eastern and Central Africa region, impacting
over 400,000 smallholder farmers in Coffee,
Tea, Livestock, Horticulture and Food
Security, Cotton, Gold and Sugarcane.
The 2008 World Bank’s “Agriculture for
Development Report” recognized the
enormous potential of agriculture in offering
employment globally. SECEAC programs in

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
Kenya are also aligned to the achievement of
Vision 2030, which recognizes the
agricultural sector as one of the key sectors
within the economic pillars for the country’s
economic growth. It envisages “a food-secure
and prosperous nation”.
Regionally, the program targets to achieve six
out of the eight Millennium Development
Goals targeting reduced poverty and hunger
by half by the year 2015; promoting gender
equality and empowering women through
integrating gender issues in their projects,
reducing child mortality, ensuring
environmental sustainability and developing
a Global Partnership for Development.

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
SECAEC programs on these value chains are
currently valued at 16 million Euros,
targeting improvement of productivity and
quality for better incomes, with the overall
objective of improving the livelihood of the
smallholder farmers in the region.
In achieving its goals and mandate,
indirectly SECAEC are contributing towards
the economy of the region through foreign
exchange, creation of employment and
empowerment of women and youth through
programs designed to address gender and

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
youth disparity.
Within the region and internationally,
SECAEC has established a network of experts
and consultants in all the value chains,
working with a wide range of collaborators
including key government departments. In
public private partnership projects (PPP), the
organization values the role played by both
public and private institutions.
Notable partnership in the region has been
with international commodity traders in
Coffee, Tea, Horticulture, Cotton and
Sugarcane, with Donors funding various
projects in the region.

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
Building sustainability in the programs has
been the key focus. SECAEC recognized that to
achieve success, financial linkages are
important. SECAEC has been able to link 75
percent of its smallholder farmers to
microfinance institutions such as KREP,
KWFT and mainstream banks such as
Cooperative Bank, Chase Bank, Equity and
KCB.
It has remained focused and diligent in
implementing its programs through
integrating quality system management,
leading to the award of the ISO 9001-2008
Certification, which guides its program
management.

Governor’s Remarks at the Solidaridad’s ISO 9001-2008 Launch
– March 20, 2014
Today, we are all gathered here to celebrate
part of this achievement through a
Documentary and ISO 9001-2008
Certification. This is satisfying and deserves
credible support and appreciation.
Thank You.