UNDP & KCIC Hold Bootcamp For Youth Entrepreneurs In The Forestry & Agroforestry Value Chains
“Anyone can start a business but growing a business is not a joke, especially for a passionate youth who has the vision, knows where the business should be by when but lacks the tools on how to get there.” This was the remark by Ms. Ruth Ndegwa, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC) while opening a five-day bootcamp for 38 young entrepreneurs in the green economy.
Her sentiments represented the experience of the 38 youths with businesses in the forestry and agroforestry value chains, who have been undergoing a UNDP-supported acceleration program at the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC) over the past six months. These young entrepreneurs who operate tree-growing and other ventures within these value chains face numerous challenges including financing, marketing, and sustaining their businesses, while for some, it’s the lack of proper technical training in issues of seed germination, soil management, grafting, and nursery management that represent the greatest hurdle to the growth of their enterprises. The bootcamp was held in Nairobi between 23–27th May 2022.
The bootcamp was organized by KCIC under the partnership with UNDP’s Green Economy Youth Activation Programme (GrEYAP). The goal of GrEYAP project is to harness the engagement of youth in the green economy and build the capacity of youth-led businesses and entrepreneurship models in the forestry and agroforestry sectors.
“The bootcamp is an eye-opener and will equip me with the skills on how to finance my business for expansion and get funds to certify my products with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS)”, said Doreen Karimi, who is the founder of EdenLawn Limited. Doreen proudly showed me the pictures of her tree nursery and 25 beehives.
I asked her where she sells her honey.” Among my friends and family”, she explained. Adding that she was yet to get the KBS mark for it to be sold in supermarkets. She also cited the length of time it takes for one to be granted the mark and how expensive it was. Doreen’s business currently does not generate enough revenue to cover such costs.
Many young entrepreneurs in the room shared similar predicaments.
“This bootcamp is part of a suite of interventions that include business advisory, technical training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to support the young entrepreneurs in scaling their businesses”, said Felix Magaju, the Head of Programmes at KCIC.
The five-day training program included presentations, discussions, and one on one sessions with the presenters which were designed to help the youth find answers to critical challenges they experience in running their enterprises. Doreen found the content relevant and expressed optimism that over the period of five days she would resolve a few questions that had dogged her business for a long time.
The challenge of access to finance remains a common barrier to scaling for many youth entrepreneurs. On this Felix added that KCIC has two financing mechanisms under it’s GreenBiz and AgriBiz programs, that is grant financing and debt financing mechanisms that young entrepreneurs can competitively access. Additionally, KCIC supports entrepreneurs to access third-party financing from other ecosystem partners involved in financing MSMEs. Felix further noted that KICIC will encourage the GrEYAP enterprises to apply for incubation and financing in the next call of applications due in September.
“We also offer website development support for increased visibility by third party financiers,” Felix said.
The bootcamp included a 2-days session focusing on equipping the participants with skills to create business and marketing plans, finding, and attracting climate impact investors, customer acquisition and retention strategies, goal setting and strategy, and monitoring as well as communicating climate impact. These sessions were in line with the goal of the GrEYAP project of building a critical mass of bankable youth enterprises in the green economy.
“This bootcamp is also an opportunity for you to build partnerships with others that will help you gain knowledge of things you didn’t know”, Ms. Ndegwa added. In the end, thanks to the UNDP Rapid Financing Facility (RFF), UNDP Kenya is building a network of energized youths who are determined to take their ventures to the next level by increasing their profitability and leveraging on the social capital among themselves.
Story by Tamiwe Kayuni. UNDP Fellow-Inclusive Growth
