Women social entrepreneurs in Nairobi are generally more aggressive in their businesses than their counterparts in Mombasa, a sustainability expert has said.
Roselyne Warau, who works for MDF, said women's voices in business in Nairobi are heard more than those of the women in Mombasa.
She said this is because of various factors including education levels, cultural aspects, and population.
“Women in Nairobi are better educated, interact more with other people, and are more exposed than their counterparts in Mombasa,” Warau said.
She spoke on Friday at the second intergenerational forum at Alliance Francaise organized by Kenya Private Sector Alliance in conjunction with the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Warau said education in Mombasa has not been taken as seriously as in Nairobi over the years because of the cultural issues where women have for a long time been seen as wives-to-be who should not ‘waste’ money in education.
She said education generally opens up one’s mind and makes one be able to think critically which helps in many sectors.
“In Mombasa, the women are now starting to realize the need to be more aggressive and that is why we have forums like these to bring that discussion as a wake-up call,” Warau said.
She said the forum is meant to make women access finances and meet different experts in their spheres of business to gain that much-needed knowledge.
“Business is not only about money but also about ideas and how to make those ideas work,” she said.
Patricia Mwikali, the community coordinator for environment at Base Titanium, said Coast people have for years cried that they have been marginalized yet there are even more opportunities in the region than in others.
The Coast region is endowed with the ocean which has countless opportunities in mangrove planting, carbon credit markets, fishing, and other blue economy value chains.
“This is an area that has a lot of funding even from external players across the globe and one only needs to identify and venture into one aspect to make it,” Mwikali said.
She also said education is meant to open one’s mind and that one should not limit oneself to what one studied in learning institutions.
“I studied sociology but I work in the environment sector,” she said.
Warau said making the environment friendly for women to do their business better has been noted to have a greater impact on business development across industries.
“We are trying to promote the idea that women also need to be heard and for them to be heard they need to register their businesses,” Warau said.
Josephine Wawira, the Kepsa communications lead, said there is a need for gender mainstreaming and inclusivity in accessing opportunities and financing for young social entrepreneurs.
She said this can best be done through linking the different generations to bring together a discussion on how to foster sustainable development.
Through a partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society Mombasa, the second intergenerational forum was also meant to link the industry to the education sector to tap into the potential and upcoming entrepreneurs.
“The forum provided an opportunity for the younger generation of social entrepreneurs to gain knowledge and information from experts from the industries from the older generation,” Wawira said at the Alliance Francaise in Nyali, Mombasa.
Some 11 young social entrepreneurs benefited from the program which took three months in which they were taken through business strategies and scale-up of their different social enterprises.
“This was inclusive of financial literacy, digital literacy, business strategies, and most importantly how to achieve sustainability in their business as they grow,” Wawira said.
She said having access to financing in business is not enough, especially for young entrepreneurs.
Financial literacy helps entrepreneurs know what to prioritize and how to best use the resources provided to help the business grow.
Kepsa, through its knowledge center, the Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K), is increasingly championing inclusive economic growth through the support and recognition of social enterprises in Mombasa, Kenya.
Being a hub of diverse industries, the County presents a unique opportunity to develop a symbiotic ecosystem that benefits both the start-up ecosystem and the more developed business community.
Kepsa program manager Ebenezer Amadi said social enterprises play a pivotal role in the sustainable economic growth of the country.
“Social entrepreneurs are critical drivers of sustainable economic growth in Kenya and are the engines for positive change.
“Therefore, through our various mentorship and empowerment programs, we remain committed to steering innovative solutions among the youth and women venturing into businesses that directly generate social and environmental impact,” Amadi said.
Mohamed Bahero, the innovation officer at the Kenya Red Cross Society, echoed his sentiments and emphasized the significance of intergenerational collaboration in fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“There’s a need for stakeholders to leverage each other’s capacity to enhance our output to the communities we serve with a human-centric approach,” Bahero said.
He said they aim to connect the youth entrepreneurs to industry.
“Our goal is to build a community where entrepreneurs can learn from each other, regardless of age or experience, and collectively contribute to the growth and sustainability of our economy," he said.
Amadi and Bahero said to become future-proof as a social entrepreneur, one must think and incorporate sustainability.
“It’s no longer just about capitalism and financial gains. It’s also about influencing the development of sensible business practices and models,” said Henry Munyao, the Project Officer of the Circular Economy Initiative Programme at WWF Kenya.
The intergenerational forum brought together individuals from different generations and industries, including the business community, academia, the youth, government, and civil society, to engage in meaningful conversations, share diverse perspectives, and foster connections that bridge generational gaps in achieving sustainable development goals.