Kenyan women dealing in herbal medicine get support

The main focus will the areas where women don’t have access to necessary capital to sustain themselves. 

An international initiative supporting women entrepreneurs in the cultivation and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) project has launched in Nairobi.

The project aims at supporting women entrepreneurs in the cultivation and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants to strengthen capacity, innovation and sustainability in African agriculture.

Speaking during the official launch of the project in Nairobi, the project coordinator of No Gravity, a non-governmental organisation, Gabriel Adamek, said the project will integrate work-based learning in experimental fields across Africa with professional lectures and digital training modules for the selected women.

He said: “This project is not just about agriculture. It is about empowering women, fostering innovation and building sustainable economies through international collaboration. Through this initiative, we are aligning traditional production knowledge with the 21st-century tools. By supporting women in rural communities, we are tackling economic inequality and environmental resilience at once.”

The programme will also embrace digitisation, incorporating e-learning tools and online monitoring systems to track progress and support continuous learning.

During the launch, Esther Ngina, the director Herbspice Maket and a partner in the MAPs project, said they will target women from marginalised arid and semi-arid areas to empower them with the necessary tools and financial capacity to undertake the MAPs project.

She said: “Our main focus will be in the marginalised areas where women don’t have access to necessary capital to sustain themselves. We are looking forward to empowering these women with requisite knowledge and tools to be able to engage in the MAPs and Essential Oils project for medicinal value.”

The added health benefits of MAPs are expected to further trigger their demand in pharmaceutical applications as well. Rising demand for aromatic cleaning agents and bio-based personal care products is expected to stimulate demand for home care and personal care products. Most of the exotic MAPs are produced from rare crops and plants around the world which are either difficult to harvest or are already overharvested endangered species in nature.