Empowering Women Through Value Addition: 12 Collectives Graduate from Business Incubation Program
By Emily Owiti
On July 30, 2025, the University of Nairobi Towers at the main campus buzzed with excitement, pride, and purpose as twelve women-led community collectives from nine counties graduated from a women-focused business incubation program. The milestone event marked the culmination of a transformative three-year journey to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship and rural industrialization in Kenya.
The graduating collectives were drawn from Kisumu, Busia, Kwale, Kilifi, Kitui, Turkana, Kajiado, Meru, and Tharaka-Nithi counties, and included: Oltiili Women Dairy Self-Help Group, Maasai Kajiado Women Dairy Cooperative, Ntharene Highway CBO, Futsesezane Women Group, Lunga Lunga Crossborder Traders Women Group, Good Neighbors Women Group, Lobur Women Group, Keega Women Group, FireQueens Women Group, Small Fish Patel Women Group, Patanisho Women Group, and Good Neighbours Women Group.
Since 2022, these groups have been part of the project titled "Evaluating What Works for Kenyan Women’s Collective/Group Business Models for Upscaling and Creation of 12 Model Cottage Industries for WEE." The initiative aimed to assess how women-focused incubation models can contribute to enterprise growth, while also documenting effective strategies and advocating for policy support for women’s economic empowerment.
The incubation model was anchored on five key pillars: building capacity, access to credit, linkages to information and technology (including technology transfer and value addition), access to markets, mentorship, and policy. Many of the participating groups initially sold raw farm produce such as green bananas, unprocessed cassava, cashew nuts, milk, and fish. Through the program, they learned to process and package high-quality, market-ready products.
They now proudly produce items such as banana and cassava crisps and flour, scones, cakes, yoghurt, processed fish, and cashew nut butter. One participant, Charity of Keega Women Group from Tharaka-Nithi, described the transformation: "Before the training, we sold raw bananas at throwaway prices. Now, we produce banana crisps and flour that we package and sell to supermarkets and schools."
The program was implemented by the University of Nairobi’s African Women Studies Centre (AWSC) under its Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Hub, in collaboration with partners including the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) and Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE). The Environmental Biosystems Engineering Department of the University of Nairobi led the value addition training, while CRAWN Trust provided capacity building and Sweet and Dried mentored the women through practical sessions.
The graduation ceremony celebrated the successful completion of intensive training and mentorship, highlighting how the model integrated academic research, technical training, and private-sector support to catalyze women-led enterprises.
"Today’s graduation is not just a celebration of what these women have learned, it’s a bold step toward industrial transformation at the grassroots level," said Professor Jackson Maalu, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance, Planning and Administration, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Professor Margaret Hutchinson. The sentiment was echoed by Ingrid Wekesa from KIRDI, who stated, "We are proud to have walked with them on their journey to becoming value chain leaders and contributors to Kenya’s manufacturing goals."
Professor Maalu further commended the African Women Studies Centre and the WEE Hub under the leadership of Professor Wanjiku Kabira, noting that the incubation project was not only aligned to the University’s mandate of community development through innovative research, but also to the Government of Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
From banana flour and vacuum-packed banana and cassava snacks to fried omena, processed fish, yoghurt, and cashew nut butter, the product showcase at the graduation drew interest from buyers, investors, and policymakers. Some of the groups have formalized their businesses and are already supplying to institutional markets and export aggregators. Others, such as those involved in cross-border trade, are exporting fish to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The government lauded the program’s achievements. "These graduating women entrepreneurs are not just creating businesses—they are adding value to our rural economies and feeding Kenya with dignity," said Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), who was the event’s Chief Guest.PS Mang’eni assured the University of the government support in the implementation of the next phase of the Incubation program and funding to the groups.
The graduation concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing groups for product innovation, sustainability, and community impact. Each participant received a certificate awarded by the University of Nairobi in partnership with KIRDI and KIE. More importantly, they left with renewed confidence in their capacity to grow and lead successful enterprises.
In her closing remarks, Professor Wanjiku Kabira, Director of the African Women Studies Centre and leader of the WEE Hub, reaffirmed the AWSC’s commitment to scaling the program with strong government support. She emphasized the importance of building on the momentum generated by the pilot phase and extending the benefits to more women across the country.
The women themselves pledged to mentor others, form inter-county networks, and continue building resilient businesses rooted in value addition. "We are no longer just producers. We are processors, brand owners, and change-makers," declared Florence Atieno, Chair of the Busia Cross Border Women Traders SACCO, one of the largest groups in the program.
Here’s the link to the event livestreamed on YouTube WATCH VIDEO
