Biashara Pawa Nakuru Dialogue: Empowering Women and Youth from Ideas to Impact
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Cynthia Oginga
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Cynthia OgingaBiashara Power Dialogue Series – Nakuru Event 1 Summary
Theme: Women and Youth in Nation Building – From Ideas to Impact
Date: Thursday 28th August 2025
Venue: Nakuru Box, 6th Floor, D&D House, Nakuru City, Kenya
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EAT
Biashara Pawa Nakuru Dialogue: Empowering Women and Youth from Ideas to Impact
On August 25th, 2025, over 150 participants gathered in Nakuru County for the first event in the Biashara Pawa dialogue event, held under the inspiring theme: “Women and Youth in Nation Building – From Ideas to Impact.” This vibrant convening brought together a powerful mix of voices; women and youth role model entrepreneurs from under-represented sectors, county government leaders, local entrepreneurs, business associations, academia, ecosystem partners, and community-based organizations – creating a dynamic space for connection, learning, and co-creation. The event also acknowledged 25 role models who are boldly stepping into spaces, daring to speak, to build, to break ceilings and to model what inclusive entrepreneurship looks like.
The event was hosted by NakuruBox, a leading entrepreneurship eco-system actor in Nakuru County, and key partners Responsible Business Consulting and Kaizen Consultancy implementers in SNV Kenya’s initiative under Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Supporting Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (IYBA-SEED). The Biashara Pawa project focuses on enabling women and youth entrepreneurs in typically male-dominated sectors such as: Manufacturing & Engineering, Green and Circular Economy, Agriculture and Agribusiness, Technology, Financial Services, Infrastructure development, Blue economy, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
From Ideas to Impact
The event opened with welcome remarks from George Wayne, Founder Nakuru Box, followed by a stirring keynote from Nduta Ndirangu of SNV Kenya, who reminded participants that while every successful business begins with a dream, it takes courage, community, and consistency to make that dream impactful. She emphasized the importance of ecosystem collaboration, access to capital, mentorship, and breaking down the barriers that often prevent women and youth from scaling their ventures.
The event’s panel session provided candid, practical insights and perspectives from role model entrepreneurs, investor/donors, business associations that:
- Explored the entrepreneurial journey – from idea generation, startup, growth, to sustainability
- Shared real-life experiences and stories that reflect opportunities, roadblocks, and resilience
- Gathered practical insights from different ecosystem actors – entrepreneurs, government, support organisations, and private sector – on what works, what doesn’t, and what’s needed
The panelists included:
- Susan Njuguna from Kenya Association of Manufacturers
- Don Gaitano from Equity Group Foundation
- Onesmus Ruttoh from Reno AgriFoods
- Regina Watetu from Daraja360
The panel discussion was skillfully moderated by Susan Njoroge from Responsible Business Consulting, who guided the conversation with insight and clarity. Charity Mbithe from Kaizen Consultancy ensured a seamless flow and engaging atmosphere in the capacity of the MC.
They county government leaders provided an overview on the county governments efforts and initiatives to provide much needed capability-building, access to capital, and other resources to spark and enable entrepreneurship in Nakuru county. The leaders included three County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) from the ministry of trade, agriculture, and education.
The participants then held deep-dive sector-specific breakout discussions on:
- Challenges women and youth entrepreneurs face in the sector
- Providing practical, local solutions to these challenges
- Identifying key enabling actions needed from ecosystem actors
What stood out was the engaging and practical multi-stakeholder and ecosystem-wide dialogue to share experiences, and explore solutions and opportunities to shared challenges.
The event also provided space for entrepreneurs to build networks and connect directly with government and ecosystem partners.
Fostering Local Transformation
The Nakuru dialogue successfully demonstrated that when women and youth are given the platform, voice, and networks, they solve for solutions and strive to uplift their communities. The Biashara Pawa approach – placing underrepresented entrepreneurs at the center of local economic conversations – is proving a powerful model for inclusive growth.
As one participant put it, “This was not just a talk shop – it was a room full of pawa, action, and shared purpose.”
This is only the beginning – as Nakuru continues to showcase and recognize women and youth role models in male-dominated sectors and builds on this first event to continue ecosystem conversations that seek to enable women and youth entrepreneurship for county and nation-building.