Whistleblowing

Nairobi, 5th June 2026...Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi has attributed the Group's impressive KSh19.1 billion profit after tax in the first quarter of 2026 to a deliberate and multi-year transformation agenda that has repositioned the institution as a technology-powered, pan-African trade facilitator. 

Speaking on the Trading Bell show hosted by media personality Maina Chege, Dr. Mwangi observed how Africa's minerals, its fertile soils, and its youthful demographics have largely served the economic ambitions of others.  

He noted that the continent was approaching a critical turning point that could enable it to claim its rightful place on the global agenda. However, he underscored the need for leaders, stakeholders, and citizens to understand how Africa can strategically negotiate for the value, partnerships, and opportunities it deserves. 

"For over 80 years, Africa has been on the menu. The global economic framework is now resetting, and Africa is occupying the seat at the head of the table. Africa has become the most beautiful bride. Every multilateral institution, every government, everybody wants a relationship with this continent. The question is: how does Africa negotiate for what it deserves? "Dr Mwangi started. 

For Equity, this conviction isn’t merely rhetorical; it’s the architecture behind every strategic decision the Group has been making in recent years, as anchored in the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP) 

Equity is a pan-African institution built for trade 

To advance the ambition of positioning Africa as a place where value is created, not merely extracted, Equity has deliberately built its business around facilitating trade across the continent and the numbers reflect this strategy.  

For instance, in 2025, Equity led Kenya’s banking sector after disbursing KSh90.7 billion to MSMEs, approximately 28% of the KSh326.5 billion extended across the industry, reinforcing its role as a strategic partner in trade facilitation rather than a conventional lender.  

From commodity to premium product 

Nowhere is Equity's trade facilitation philosophy more tangible than in agriculture. Through the ARRP, the Group has facilitated a landmark offtake agreement that is connecting Kenyan specialty tea farmers with leading French house Palais des Thés.  

The agreement was recently signed in the presence of President William Ruto and his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron. While a kilo of tea has historically earned Kenyan farmers about KSh100 or even less, the new model is expected to significantly raise returns, with prices projected to exceed KSh3,000 per kilo in premium international markets. 

According to Dr. Mwangi, this price transformation is expected once the ongoing process of registering a Geographical Indication (GI) for Kenyan specialty tea is completed and the necessary production lines are established.  

 
What is a Geographical Indication (GI) in the context of Kenyan tea? 

A GI is a form of intellectual property protection that links a product to a specific place of origin and recognises qualities or characteristics unique to that location. A popular example is Champagne in France. Champagne is a region in northeastern France that is known for production of high-quality wine. For Kenyan tea, this would help protect authenticity, strengthen premium market positioning, and allow farmers to capture greater value from global trade. 

“We have used Champagne and the concept of geographical indication to create a GI and legal framework for Kenya. The farmer is going to be paid KSh3,000; it’s a real transformation. And I’m glad I’ve lived to witness this moment. Kenyan tea is of very high quality because most of it is grown in high altitude areas with volcanic soils that are well-drained. These are very special places. Our black tea is ranked very high, but our specialty tea is a very premium tea,” he explained. 

 

Coffee and leather value addition 

The same value addition model is now being extended to coffee, drawing from the Geographical Indication framework and global market access model pioneered through the specialty tea offtake deal.  

Plans are underway to register a GI for Kenyan coffee and position it within high-value global specialty markets, with farmgate benefits expected to reach smallholder farmers once regulatory approvals and dedicated production lines are secured.  

Dr. Mwangi noted that Equity is working with Italian partners on coffee in the same way it engaged French partners on tea, given Italy's standing as a global leader in the coffee trade. For a crop Kenya has long exported as a raw commodity, this signals a meaningful shift in economic agency. 

Beyond coffee, Equity is applying the same value addition philosophy to leather and livestock. The Group has signed strategic partnerships with stakeholders in the Italian leather value chain to facilitate knowledge exchange and deepen value addition in the sector.  

Dr. Mwangi noted that Equity is focused on unlocking the full potential of the leather industry across its markets by supporting higher-value processing and strengthening participation in regional and global value chains. 

Supporting mining and extractives 

Equity's commitment to value addition extends further into the mining and extractives sector, where the Group is active across the full value chain, from extraction and logistics through to beneficiation, processing, and market access.  

This positions Equity as a catalyst for sustainable industrialization, fully aligned with ARRP's first pillar, which targets higher productivity in extractives as part of a long-term vision for a self-sufficient continent.  

At the 2026 Mining Investments Conference, Equity's leadership underscored that Africa's mineral endowment needs to start generating tangible prosperity for Africans and shift from merely supplying raw materials to the industries of others. 

Equity’s loan commitment to agriculture, manufacturing and MSMEs by 2030 

Equity has pledged to direct 30% of its loan book to agriculture by 2030, a bold commitment to a sector that most financial institutions have historically underserved.  

The Group has also committed to achieving a 65% loan mix to the MSME sector and 15% to manufacturing. 


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