Women leaders call for innovation to drive business growth

Kenyan and regional women business leaders on Friday have called for stronger innovation and collaboration to keep women entrepreneurs competitive in a rapidly changing business environment.

Speaking at the FOWEK President’s Breakfast in Nairobi, Principal Secretary for Trade Regina Akoth Ombam said women must be positioned at the forefront of economic transformation.

“We are not talking about participation; we are talking about leadership,” she said. “Because when women rise, nations rise.”

Ombam noted that global markets are shifting fast, saying women cannot afford to remain at the trailing edge.

She emphasised that: "Innovation goes beyond technology, including rethinking value, how we design businesses, how we reach customers, and how we create impact."

The PS highlighted national efforts to support women entrepreneurs, including the Women Enterprise Fund, the AGPO programme reserving 30 per cent of government tenders for women, and the digitisation of trade systems to ease access to regional markets.

“These are not isolated policies; they are building blocks for inclusion and competitiveness,” she said.

FOWEK President Joan Mbesya said the organisation’s goal is to ensure no woman entrepreneur walks her business journey alone, noting that women across countries are innovating, scaling and redefining what is possible for women-led enterprises.

She pointed to recent training in cassava, moringa and banana value chains, saying: “These women are not just farmers anymore; they are agripreneurs.”

Mbesya reaffirmed FOWEK’s commitment to strengthening trade linkages through the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB).

“We proudly serve as the Kenya Chapter of COMFWB,  connecting Kenyan women to regional and continental trade opportunities across 21 member states,” she said.

She cited regional programmes such as the 50 Million African Women Speak platform and the small-scale cross-border trade initiative as key tools helping women access information, finance and safer markets.

Calling for deeper partnership, Mbesya urged women to show up, learn, connect, and dare bigger than they ever have before, adding: “Because when women rise, economies transform.”