On August 25th, 2025, over 150 participants gathered in Nakuru County for the first event in the Biashara Pawa dialogue event, held under the inspiring theme: "Women and Youth in Nation Building - From Ideas to Impact." This vibrant convening brought together a powerful mix of voices; women and youth role model entrepreneurs from under-represented sectors, county government leaders, local entrepreneurs, business associations, academia, ecosystem partners, and community-based organizations - creating a dynamic space for connection, learning, and co-creation.
The event also acknowledged 25 role models who are boldly stepping into spaces, daring to speak, to build, to break ceilings and to model what inclusive entrepreneurship looks like.
The event was hosted by NakuruBox, a leading entrepreneurship eco-system actor in Nakuru County, and implemented by our key partners Responsible Business Consulting and Kaizen Consultancy.
The Biashara Pawa project focuses on enabling women and youth entrepreneurs in typically male-dominated sectors such as: Manufacturing & Engineering, Green and Circular Economy, Agriculture and Agribusiness, Technology, Financial Services, Infrastructure development, Blue economy, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
From ideas to impacts
The event opened with welcome remarks from George Wayne, Founder Nakuru Box, followed by a stirring keynote from Nduta Ndirangu, IYBA-SEED Kenya - SNV Kenya, who reminded participants that while every successful business begins with a dream, it takes courage, community, and consistency to make that dream impactful. She emphasized the importance of ecosystem collaboration, access to capital, mentorship, and breaking down the barriers that often prevent women and youth from scaling their ventures.
The event’s panel session provided candid, practical insights and perspectives from role model entrepreneurs, investor/donors, business associations that:
• Explored the entrepreneurial journey - from idea generation, startup, growth, to sustainability.
• Shared real-life experiences and stories that reflect opportunities, roadblocks, and resilience.
• Gathered practical insights from different ecosystem actors - entrepreneurs, government, support organisations, and private sector - on what works, what doesn't, and what’s needed.
The panelists included:
• Susan Njuguna from Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
• Don Gaitano from Equity Group Foundation.
• Onesmus Ruttoh from Reno AgriFoods.
• Regina Watetu from Daraja360.
The county government leaders provided an overview of the county government’s efforts and initiatives to provide much needed capability building, access to capital, and other resources to spark and enable entrepreneurship in Nakuru county. The leaders included three County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) from the ministry of trade, agriculture, and education.
Deep-dive sector-specific breakout discussions
The participants then held deep-dive sector-specific breakout discussions on:
• Challenges women and youth entrepreneurs face in the sector
• Providing practical, local solutions to these challenges
• Identifying key enabling actions needed from ecosystem actors
What stood out was the engaging and practical multi-stakeholder and ecosystem-wide dialogue to share experiences and explore solutions and opportunities to share challenges.
The event also provided space for entrepreneurs to build networks and connect directly with government and ecosystem partners.
Fostering local transformation
The Nakuru dialogue successfully demonstrated that when women and youth are given the platform, voice, and networks, they solve for solutions and strive to uplift their communities.
The Biashara Pawa approach - placing underrepresented entrepreneurs at the center of local economic conversations - is proving a powerful model for inclusive growth.
This was not just a talk shop - it was a room full of Pawa, action, and shared purpose.
Biashara Pawa Nakuru dialogue: Empowering women and youth from ideas to impact
On August 25th, 2025, over 150 participants gathered in Nakuru County for the first event in the Biashara Pawa dialogue event, held under the inspiring theme: "Women and Youth in Nation Building - From Ideas to Impact." This vibrant convening brought together a powerful mix of voices; women and yout...Programme to support inclusive innovation for women entrepreneurs in the financial sector in Senegal
Transform the provision of financial services by integrating gender issues and truly meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs Diagnostics conducted as part of the IYBA-SEED Senegal project highlighted a series of structural barriers related to the provision of financing: A lack of products specific...Revisit our Webinar #2 : Leveraging digital tools to strengthen entrepreneurial support in West Africa
Digital tools are increasingly shaping how businesses start, operate, and grow. Yet in many parts of West Africa, early-stage entrepreneurs (particularly women, youth, and those working informally) face persistent barriers to accessing and using these tools.Biashara Pawa : A media initiative to elevate women entrepreneurs in underrepresented sectors across Kenya
Change makers in underrepresented sectors IYBA-SEED Kenya, in partnership with RBC, Kaizen Consultancy, and other local Ecosystem Support organizations are launching Biashara Pawa - wich means the business power - an innovative media initiative to elevate women and youth entrepreneurs in unde...
