Bootcamp

UP-RISE Gender-Responsive Bootcamp for Agripreneurs in Nairobi

In early July 2026, UP-RISE hosted a Gender-Responsive Bootcamp in Nairobi, bringing together 10 agripreneurs from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. The programme combined technical enterprise development, practical coaching and personal leadership training to help founders scale their enterprises and enhance food safety standards.

Programme Highlights

Day 1 – Business Development & Leadership (8 July): Baseline pitches, deep dives into the Business Model Canvas, founder networking and integrating food safety with business growth.
Day 2 – Growing My Business (9 July): Financial readiness, growth labs, gender-responsiveness workshops, and the launch of a 90-day business action plan.
Day 3 – University of Nairobi Field Visits: Practical site tours of the Dairy and Post-Harvest Processing Plants, examining quality assurance, traceability, packaging innovations, and methods to reduce post-harvest food loss.

Challenges & Early Outcomes

Core Challenges Identified:

Limited access to working capital and long-term growth finance.
High costs associated with testing, certification and regulatory compliance.
Logistics, transport bottlenecks and restrictive licensing.

Tangible Progress Implemented:

Traceability & Quality Assurance: Adoption of rigorous documentation and batch record-keeping across dairy processing operations.
Financial Management: Implementation of structured financial planning and budgeting systems.
Market Entry: Development of agile, mobile, and community-focused marketing strategies before deploying capital into physical expansion.
Compliance: Sustained progress towards formal product certification despite capital constraints.

Next Steps

Participants will continue to receive coaching sessions and ongoing support to monitor the implementation of their action plans, strengthening operational management and resilience.