Kenya

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Ecosystem Strengthening and Tailored Business Support

In Kenya, the IYBA WE4A project is more than just an initiative, it is a response to what women entrepreneurs asked for. Built through a participatory process and grounded in their lived experiences, the Kenya approach to be implemented in Kajiado, Kiambu and Mombasa, was co-created with the very women it serves. From access to finance and credible market access to navigating stigma and time poverty, the project tackles the real barriers women face in growing green and sustainable enterprises.

What Women Told Us — and What We’re Solving

Women-led enterprises highlighted key constraints that limit their growth and participation in green and greening sectors:

• Limited Access to Finance: Reliance on savings and grants; banks perceive start-ups as too risky
• Manual Business Operations: Few digital tools for accounting, HR, reporting, or customer management
• Market Barriers: Difficulty accessing buyers beyond local communities; weak visibility and positioning
• Credibility and Stigma: Especially in sectors like waste management where women face stereotypes
• Lack of Workspaces: Many operate from home, co-working hubs, or informal setups
• Time Poverty, Literacy, and Language Gaps: Limiting access to conventional training and support formats

Approach

IYBA WE4A Kenya moves beyond generic support to address the structural, social, and operational challenges uncovered during the participatory needs assessment. The project uses a dual delivery model that ensures both systemic change and direct business growth:

1. Ecosystem Strengthening 

To create an enabling environment for women-led green enterprises, the project works with Entrepreneurial Support Organisations (ESOs) to build their capacity to deliver gender-transformative and sustainability-focused services. Two core methodologies drive this transformation:

• Gender Transformative Application (GTA) of the SME Loop
  ESOs are trained to challenge gender biases in service delivery, adapt their coaching to women’s realities, and integrate principles such as shared decision-making, agency, and equitable participation in enterprise development.
• Green Business Development Services (Green BDS)
  ESOs are equipped to support businesses with climate-smart practices, sustainable production models, circular economy approaches, green certification, and value-chain greening.

Through this, the ecosystem shifts from generic service provision to one that actively promotes inclusion, sustainability, and long-term business resilience.

2. Direct Support to Women Entrepreneurs

Alongside ecosystem work, the project delivers tailored interventions to women-led MSMEs in the implementing counties through trained ESOs. These interventions are informed by the needs assessment and focus on:

• Capacity development (skills, certifications, digitalisation)
• Access to finance (investment readiness, financial linkages, green credit options)
• Market access (branding, storytelling, B2B linkages, buyer networks)
• Peer learning, mentorship, and networking 

Integration of Kenya’s AI Strategy will introduce accessible digital tools for growth and efficiency.

The project will reach 5 ESOs and 480 women entrepreneurs across the three counties.

By transforming the ecosystem and directly empowering women entrepreneurs, IYBA WE4A in Kenya is laying the foundations for inclusive, green, and gender-responsive economic growth.

IDEATE & GROW: A Full-Service Journey for Women Entrepreneurs

To ensure women receive holistic and practical support throughout their entrepreneurial journey, IYBA WE4A integrates two additional pillars:

IDEATE – Entrepreneurial Skills 

Delivered by the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), this component provides tailored entrepreneurial training, mentorship, and seed funding to help women develop, refine, and expand their business ideas.

GROW – Access to Finance

Through partnerships with financial institutions such as Goodwell, the programme co-designs and delivers financing products tailored to the needs of women-led MSMEs.
These partners help women overcome funding barriers and access the capital required to grow sustainably.
Together, these components make the Kenya country approach a comprehensive pathway—from ideation to growth and investment readiness.

Impact in Motion

Kavalian Limited, a cleantech company led by Tony Elumelu Foundation alumna Anna Chari, embodies the kind of transformation the programme enables. With support from IYBA-WE4A, the business has achieved over 30% monthly revenue growth, scaled its customer base, created jobs, and removed more than 136,000 kilograms of plastic waste across Nairobi and Taita-Taveta. Anna is now preparing to establish her own production facility—a leap the programme aims to make possible for many more women.