Encouraging budding entrepreneurs for progress and growth in Kenya
In a bid to address the scarcity of resources dedicated to emerging businesses in Kenya, the E4Impact Foundation, an Italian organisation promoting sustainable development in Africa through entrepreneurial training and business acceleration programs, has taken a significant step forward. The foundation is playing a key role in the Skies project, a groundbreaking initiative designed to strengthen Kenya's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Launched in collaboration with the Kenyan government, the World Bank, and Spineberg Ltd, the Skies project was initiated with a $50 million budget. This ambitious project aims to transform the local startup landscape by strengthening 13 accelerators, incubators, and tech bootcamps across Kenya.
As part of the Skies project, E4Impact Foundation is responsible for ensuring that intermediaries can improve their capabilities to better serve new entrepreneurs. This includes performance improvement plans, targeted workshops, continuous monitoring, strategic consulting, and supervision of funding structures.
The Skies project is not to be confused with Express Kenya’s Project Nexus, a separate initiative focused on commercial real estate, or the ongoing investment in East Africa’s aviation sector, which is directed towards infrastructure and regulatory improvements, not directly at startups.
The Skies project is making a significant impact, training hundreds of young people in the tech sector and contributing to Kenya's efforts to redefine its economic identity through innovation and the dynamism of the younger generations. The project is one of the ways Kenya is positioning itself as a hub for innovation in Africa.
E4Impact Foundation's work in Kenya is part of its broader mission to promote sustainable development in Africa. As a management firm, the foundation helps intermediaries improve their capabilities, playing a crucial role in capacity building and economic growth.
Despite the lack of widespread media coverage, the Skies project is a testament to Kenya's commitment to fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem. The project is designed to provide concrete tools for Kenya's economic growth, and its success could pave the way for similar initiatives across the continent.
[1] Express Kenya’s Project Nexus: https://www.expressdigest.co.ke/business/express-kenyas-project-nexus-ksh250m-investment-to-revamp-commercial-real-estate/ [3] East Africa’s Aviation Sector: https://www.reuters.com/business/africa/east-africas-aviation-sector-receives-investment-2021-07-13/
The E4Impact Foundation, through its role in the Skies project, is fostering technological education and self-development among Kenyan youth by improving the capabilities of intermediaries to better serve new entrepreneurs in technology fields. This project, a collaborative effort with the Kenyan government, the World Bank, and Spineberg Ltd, aims to transform Kenya's startup landscape by strengthening education-and-self-development focused accelerators, incubators, and tech bootcamps across Kenya.
