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KEPROBA Launches Bold New Push to Get Kenyan Women Exporting to the World:


 Nairobi, Kenya, George Mutua.

 It's a staggering statistic: women own nearly half of all businesses in Kenya, yet they bring in less than 8 percent of the country's export revenue.

That gap was the urgent focus of the inaugural Women in Export Trade Forum, held today in Nairobi, where policymakers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders gathered to answer a simple but powerful question: How do we get "She Exports" from a slogan to a reality?

The event, organized by the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA) under the theme "She Exports, She Thrives," was equal parts celebration and call to action. For every woman who has built a successful export business, there are thousands more stuck in local markets, unaware of the global pathways that could transform their livelihoods.

Principal Secretary for the State Department of Trade, Regina Akoth Ombam, didn't mince words.

"We must claim our space," she told the room, her voice carrying both urgency and warmth. "Women need to know what global pathways exist and how to access them. Real empowerment isn't theoretical, it has to be tangible and actionable. Those already exporting should lift and guide those who aspire to do the same."

The numbers tell a stark story. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, women own more than 7.4 million Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, nearly half of all registered businesses in the country. Yet fewer than 12 per cent of Kenya's formal exporters are women-led, and women-owned firms account for less than 8 per cent of total export revenues.

Even more striking: within the East African Community, women account for 40-80 per cent of informal cross-border traders. Their labour fuels regional trade, but their contribution remains largely invisible in official statistics.

Floice Mukabana, CEO of KEPROBA, sees this as both a challenge and an enormous opportunity.

"Women entrepreneurs are critical to Kenya's economic growth and export diversification," she said. "Through forums like this, we're creating platforms that equip women-led enterprises with the knowledge, networks, and market linkages they need to access regional and global markets."



But the forum wasn't just about diagnosing problems. KEPROBA came with a roadmap.

Mukabana announced three major initiatives set to launch in 2027.  The Women Exporters Network Kenya (WEN-Kenya), designed to create a sisterhood of support and mentorship; the She Exports Awards, which will celebrate and spotlight successful women exporters; and the Made in Kenya - Women Exporters Programme, aimed at helping women brand and position their products for international buyers.

The room buzzed during a high-level panel discussion featuring women who have already cracked the code. They shared war stories, the daunting paperwork, the tricky logistics, the cultural barriers, but also the thrill of seeing Kenyan products on international shelves. Their message to the aspiring exporters in the audience: You don't have to figure it out alone.

For KEPROBA, this is just the beginning. The agency, formed in 2019 from the merger of the Export Promotion Council and Brand Kenya Board, is mandated to promote Kenyan goods and services globally. But as Mukabana put it, "We're ensuring that women aren't just included in the export ecosystem, they're positioned to take advantage of emerging opportunities."

The goal is ambitious: to move Kenyan women from the margins of global trade to its centre. One connection, one mentorship, one export deal at a time.

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