Kenya-Lithuania Partnership Empowers 478 Women & Youth Entrepreneurs

• The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) collaborated with the Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (VCCIC) to carry out the Skills 4 Women & Youth in Kenya program
• 478 women- and youth-owned SMEs throughout Kenya were empowered via the program
• The programme exhibits an effective model of international partnership for inclusive economic development

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), the Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (VCCIC) and with financial support of the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund has rolled out the Skills 4 Women & Youth in Kenya program successfully.

The project empowered 478 women-and youth-owned SMEs nationally, exceeding its initial sign-up target by over six times—its biggest achievement so far in driving Kenyan enterprises towards global markets.

The program was formulated to tap the findings of a nationwide survey of SMEs conducted in 2024 for over 700 participants. This included hands-on, focused training in areas such as digital marketing, e-commerce, export preparedness, and global networking, all of which were conducted in eight virtual sessions to bring the participants abreast with the necessary tools for SEO, Google Ads, email marketing, AR/VR interaction, cross-border sales automation, analytics, and advice on export strategy, including AfCFTA and AGOA compliance.

In order to create sustainability and at-the-grassroots level outreach, KNCCI implemented a Train-the-Trainer model through 47 county chapters. Furthermore, a KNCCI Academy has also been set up as a long-term facility to offer sustained mentorship, skill build-up, and market linkage support.

In the future, all 478 participants will be awarded formal completion certificates, with 20 exceptional SMEs being provided with customized mentorship to enable them to scale up internationally.

“This initiative was about equipping entrepreneurs with practical, scalable tools, and the strong engagement proves the drive for growth among Kenya’s business community,” said Ken Mwenda, Lead Coordinator of the program.