AWSC Launches Youth Entrepreneurs Incubation Programme
The African Women Studies Centre (AWSC) at the University of Nairobi has commenced an eight-day incubation training to support students with innovative business ideas and early-stage ventures to develop them into viable enterprises.
Implemented in collaboration with Equity Bank, the Youth Entrepreneurs Incubation programme brings together young innovators from different disciplines across the University, creating an interdisciplinary platform for entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise development. The participants are drawn from the Faculties of Agriculture, Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Business and Management Sciences and UoN ICT department.
The programme is designed around the principle that a promising idea must respond to a real need and create value in the market. Prof. Wagacha Maina, the Director Intellectual Property Management at the University of Nairobi in his opening remarks challenged the participants to look beyond the idea “look beyond the novelty of your ideas and ask critical questions about your customers, product quality, regulatory requirements, competitiveness and market positioning to ensure sustainability” Prof. Wagacha also noted that the innovations by the young entrepreneurs responds to the high rates of unemployment and underemployment in Kenya and globally. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics [KNBS]. (2026), The 2026 Kenya Integrated Labour Force Survey (ILFS) approximately 11.9% of Kenyan youth face visible underemployment (working fewer hours than desired), while roughly 75% experience invisible underemployment (working adequate hours but earning insufficient income while the International Labour Organization [ILO]. (2026) places youth unemployment at 15. 25 % and classifies 20.4% of young people globally as NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training)
For the participants developing food-related innovations, the discussion highlighted the importance of food safety, consumer preferences, value addition, packaging and differentiation. The University’s incubation facilities at the Faculty of Agriculture’s Lower Kabete campus, including its pilot plant for value addition, processing and packaging, provide an important pathway for taking such innovations closer to commercialization.
The emphasis throughout the session was on translating ideas into practical solutions that respond to real-world challenges.
Building on AWSC’s incubation experience
The initiative builds on AWSC’s experience implementing the Women Business Incubation programme under its Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme. For over four years, the programme supported 320 women entrepreneurs and 12 women groups across nine counties. The experience showed the value of incubation in the growth of women’s entreprises. The key pillars of the incubation program were mentorship, financial support and technology linkages to strengthen business growth.
“These lessons are now being adapted to support young entrepreneurs at the University” Prof. Kabira, the AWSC Director noted. Rather than relying on classroom instruction alone, the incubation approach gives participants opportunities to examine their businesses, understand their customers, test their assumptions, improve their products and strengthen their business models.
Partnerships that strengthen enterprise development
Equity Bank is supporting the initiative as a financial and ecosystem partner, bringing expertise in financial inclusion, financial literacy and business development. Speaking during the training, Equity Bank’s Women and Youth Banking representative emphasised that building a successful business requires more than access to finance. Knowledge, capacity development and networks are also critical to business growth.
Participants were reminded of the value of building relationships within the incubation ecosystem, “the next business opportunity could come from the person sitting next to you” Dr. Grace Kariuki of the Equity Foundation said.
The partnership brings together the University’s academic, technical and innovation expertise with Equity Bank’s experience in supporting young entrepreneurs and expanding access to financial opportunities.
Advancing innovation and commercialization at UoN
Officially opening the programme, Prof. Wagacha Maina, described the initiative as part of the University’s broader commitment to strengthening innovation and commercialization. He noted that the University’s role extends beyond teaching, research and community engagement to transforming research outputs into innovations, enterprises, sustainable livelihoods and economic opportunities.
The incubation programme provides a practical pathway for students to apply their knowledge, develop enterprises and explore opportunities for commercialising their innovations. The incubation journey shall take participants through eight stages:
Selection → Onboarding → Capacity Building → Prototype → Strategy → Finance → Pitch → Graduation
The training is deliberately practical. Participants work on diagnosing their businesses, understanding customers, improving products, testing value propositions, strengthening business and financial models, developing market strategies and preparing to pitch their ventures. It features the approach of diagnosing, designing, building, testing and pitching. Each stage is intended to move the business forward, with participants expected to apply what they learn to their own ventures.
By the end of the incubation, participants are expected to have developed a Business Improvement Plan, a clear customer and value proposition, an improved product or prototype, a go-to-market strategy, a financial model, and a pitch and growth roadmap.
Participants were encouraged to remain curious, practical, coachable and bold: to question their assumptions, test their ideas, listen to customers and use feedback to improve. As the incubation progresses, the programme aims to strengthen a pipeline of young entrepreneurs capable of developing viable businesses and contributing to innovation and economic opportunity.
