Investing in Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya: Small Businesses Window

This window is to support women and young women-owned SMEs in the blue economy to address key barriers they face around key access to capital, land through leasing, and access to markets and technologies.

Objectives

• The Small Business Window (SBW) competitive business challenge has the following objectives:
  • Enhance financial inclusivity for the women and young women-owned small enterprises operating in Kenya’s Blue Economy sector increasing access to credit, enabling market linkages, supply of inputs/ products/services along the value chain and creating employment.
  • Provide targeted enterprise development services, and gender capacity and development support to small businesses.
  • Advocate and increase awareness of the business case for investing in women in the Blue Economy in Kenya.
  • Provide incentives for sustainable widespread adoption of climate-smart practices in Kenya’s Blue Economy.

Focus Area and Sectors

• Focus counties include Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homabay and Migori.
• The sectors include:
  • Fisheries
  • Productive use of renewable energy
  • Waste management
  • Biodiversity protection (marine and lake biodiversity)
  • Tourism-provision of products and services to the tourism sector
  • Supply of inputs and services(e.g., access to finance, climate-smart technologies – aquatic blue food storage and transportation, market information etc)
  • Social enterprises that reduce the burden of care for women and young women (e.g., daycare child services)

Funding Information

• Applicants must submit a funding application justifying their funding requirements, including the funding amount and project duration. The funding should be used for a specific project in one or more target counties, such as introducing new services or products, scaling up an existing enterprise, or expanding to a new market. Funding options vary based on development stages:
  • Minimum fund award of KSh 1,000,000
  • Maximum fund award of KSh 7,000,000
• Funding will be provided as a performance-based grant in local currency. To be eligible for funding, applicants must meet the match funding criteria outlined in the matching contribution section. Businesses should apply for funding based on their development stage and capacity to handle the proposed project’s funding. Funding disbursements will be milestone-based, with payments tied to mutually agreed-upon milestones. The first disbursement will not exceed 30% of the total awarded amount.

Geographical Focus

• Women and young-women-owned small enterprises that are commercially active in the respective sectors of Kenya’s blue economy.
• The small enterprises must be located in one of the focus counties in the Lake Victoria basin and Coastal regions. Those with linkages to women and young women-owned micro-enterprises will be preferred.

Selection Criteria

• Each applicant will be evaluated and scored against the following criteria:
  • Fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
  • Demonstrated market demand of the business’ products and/or services amongst rural community populations especially the poor and vulnerable, with a clear vision to achieve sustainability.
  • Present a business proposition that clearly highlight the participation of women and young women as beneficiaries of the business activities.
  • Entrepreneurs’ ability – commitment and dedication of the key person providing leadership and direction on the business.
  • Capacity of the project to deliver and sustain social impact, particularly on communities poor and vulnerable.
  • Demonstrated capacity of the entrepreneur and team to implement the proposed business / project (adequate internal resources/capacity).

For more information, visit Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund.