Road to Markets in Kenya

Accessing markets is a key route for business growth and success, but many women in Kenya face a host of gendered challenges when it comes to accessing markets.  

Kenya has a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) accounting for 98% of businesses in the country. Still, a massive gender gap in formal business ownership persists. Only one third of registered SMEs are woman-owned. This is often due to legal and regulatory barriers, which can make it difficult for women to formalise their businesses and expand into new markets.  

While Kenya’s growing digital infrastructure and increased use of e-commerce platforms represent an opportunity to open more markets to women-owned businesses, many women lack access to digital tools and training. This means they are less likely to benefit from such opportunities.

Launched in Kenya in 2024, our Road to Markets programme is designed to support women entrepreneurs to overcome these and other challenges, equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, networks and pathways to achieve business growth through accessing new markets or expanding penetration of their existing markets.  

For roughly 10 hours per month across a six month period, participants receive highly tailored and localised coaching and training, taking place both online and face-to-face. These sessions provide women with: 

• Knowledge across five key topics: market research and product adaptation; e-commerce and logistics; legal, compliance and procurement; digital marketing and outreach; and how financing can support market access.
• One-to-one coaching  to overcome specific, individual challenges relating to their own businesses.
• Access to a wide range of online resources relevant to the programme’s main learning topics. 
• Lasting and highly beneficial networks with other participants. 
• Self-belief in their ability to access markets. 
• Support to develop a six to 12 month market growth plan to achieve their ambitions. 
• Confidence, commitment and energy to put their plans into practice. 

Road to Markets has been developed in consultation with women entrepreneurs and is purpose-built to meet their needs. The programme is highly adaptable to respond to the evolving needs of women across different countries, which we hope to achieve through new programme funding partnerships soon.