Nairobi, Kenya: SHONA Group, in partnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and with support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Germany, convened women-driven enterprises from Kenya and Uganda at the Swiss Belinn Hotel in Nairobi alongside gender-lens investors, key ecosystem players, and business development leaders to deepen collaboration and unlock new pathways for growth across the region.
Held under the theme ‘Building Bridges for Business & Impact’, the event marked a critical milestone in the Herizon project, a strategic initiative designed to build economic opportunities for women and increase access to products and services that improve the quality of life for women in Kenya and Uganda.
The Herizon project is a strategic intervention designed for ecosystems where women are active participants in enterprise creation yet remain structurally underserved in access to capital, markets, and cross-border networks.
By intentionally connecting founders to investors and ecosystem actors across Kenya and Uganda, SHONA and WHH are strengthening regional value chains and building enterprises capable of scaling sustainably. Aided by seasoned industry experts, the participating entrepreneurs and ecosystem actors engaged in discussions centered on three critical levers for scaling: driving sales, including women in value chains, and increasing access to investment in the realities of East Africa’s business landscape.
In Kenya, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) account for approximately 98 per cent of all businesses and contribute about 40 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2022).
In Uganda, SMEs represent about 90 per cent of the private sector, employ more than 2.5 million people, and contribute roughly 20 per cent to GDP (Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development – Uganda, 2023). Despite this significant contribution, many enterprises, particularly women-led businesses, continue to face barriers to growth, including limited financing and restricted access to regional markets. The 41 enterprises showcased at the event operate across the value chains of agriculture, climate-smart food production, nutrition, climate resilience, water and sanitation, digitalisation, skills development, and broader economic empowerment.
“Platforms like Herizon shift the conversation from survival to scale,” said Gloria Achiro, CEO of Jather Farmers in Uganda. “When you step into a room where investors, partners, and fellow entrepreneurs are actively looking for collaboration, you begin to think beyond local limitations. Cross-border learning is powerful because it expands both your market and your mindset.”
The partnerships behind Herizon reflect a deliberate alignment of development objectives and commercial pathways. Welthungerhilfe’s focus on inclusive growth and resilient livelihoods complements SHONA’s SME development and capital mobilisation model. Together, they are advancing a shared view that ecosystem strengthening requires both systemic thinking and practical, deal-focused engagement.
“Achieving long-term, systemic transformation in East Africa requires building resilient markets that serve the needs of the population,” stated Jovia Nampiina, WHH Sector Advisor for Economic Empowerment and Youth Skills, who attended the convening.
“Through the Herizon Program, we are focusing on enterprises driving innovation in climate-smart food production, nutrition, and WASH. When we strengthen women-led businesses in these sectors, we don’t just generate economic returns; we build community resilience against climate change and secure sustainable, inclusive growth for the region.”
For SHONA Group, the event is a continuation of a long-term commitment to building “Good Businesses” — enterprises that create value not only for owners but also for customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and the environment. “We are deliberate about building bridges where gaps exist,” said Joachim Ewechu, SHONA’s CEO.
“Bridges between capital and entrepreneurs. Bridges between markets and ambition. Bridges between Kenya and Uganda. When women-led enterprises are connected to affordable capital and strategic networks, the result is not incremental growth. It is a structural transformation. Herizon underscores a clear proposition: sustainable economic development in East Africa will not be achieved through isolated interventions but through intentional ecosystem building, disciplined capital deployment, and cross-border collaboration.
