- Grant Training
- Deadline – November 24, 2025
- CLICK HERE TO APPLY
If you run a small or medium-sized enterprise in East Africa and want to raise external investment or improve your financial systems, the MARKUP II Programme offers a six-month support initiative tailored for businesses ready to scale. This is a strong opportunity to build capacity, connect with financiers and prepare your business for growth.
.
MARKUP II is the second phase of the Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP), a regional initiative supported by the European Union and implemented via the International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with the East African Community (EAC).
.
While MARKUP I focused mainly on market access and export competitiveness, this specialised track emphasises access to finance and investment readiness for SMEs operating in key value chains across East Africa. According to the call overview, the programme covers three pillars: investment readiness & financial management capacity; linkages with financial institutions and investors; and transaction advisory support.
.
For African MSMEs (especially in East Africa) this means not only training but actionable support to position for growth financing and engage with the finance ecosystem—a crucial gap in many small businesses.
.
Programme Benefits:
- Training and capacity-building in financial management, investor-readiness, business modelling and pitch preparation.
- Structured facilitation of connections between participating SMEs and financial institutions or investors.
- Transaction advisory support to help navigate from readiness to actual funding engagements.
- Networking, mentoring and technical assistance provided by the MARKUP II initiative.
- Duration: Six-month structured programme focused on building capacity and facilitating engagement with finance.
Eligibility:
To participate, SMEs must meet the following typical requirements
- Be legally registered and operating in one of the six EAC partner states: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania or Uganda.
- Operate in one of the priority value chains: coffee, tea, cocoa, avocado, leather, gum arabic, French beans, essential oils, packaging, spices.
- Have been in operation for at least two years and have a track-record of financial performance (including financial statements).
- Demonstrate readiness to raise external financing within the next 12 months and be committed to participating in the full programme.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
At Funding Square, we help African entrepreneurs and organizations access funding through three expert services:
.
- Grant Research Service – Get 50 tailored grant opportunities handpicked for your business or nonprofit, saving you time and effort.
- Grant Proposal Writing – We craft compelling, funder-friendly proposals that grab attention and increase your chances of success.
- Fundraising Business Plan – A powerful, funding-ready business plan designed to attract grants, loans, and investors.
Let’s turn your funding goals into reality!
.
Contact us today by sending us an email at hello@fundingsquare.org