New Horizons-Accelerating Sustainable Development through Inclusive Business in Kenya
In recent years, Kenya has forged a reputation as a continental leader in using private sector-based innovation to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. Consider some examples quoted by President Kenyatta himself at the latest G7 meeting: Safaricom’s M-Pesa; a simple mobile app that enables individuals even in the remotest parts of the country to send and receive money. Or Ushahidi, a web-based crowdsourcing platform set up to report instances of violence following the 2007-2008 elections, which was then used in the global response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and to track the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Examples like this demonstrate the enormous potential that lies in aligning private-sector approaches with global development goals. Nowhere is this more relevant than Kenya: with almost half the population living below the poverty line, there is both great need and great potential for businesses to include this demographic as customers, clients, employees, suppliers and more. This is the very heart of inclusive business. It is about aligning corporate potential with human need. And it is inspiring to read the many examples in this report showing that inclusive business is gaining ground in Kenya. Jacaranda Health’s model of reaching low-income women with affordable maternal care is saving lives in Nairobi, while ACRE Africa’s innovative approach to insuring small-scale farmers is providing unprecedented financial security to farming families in rural Kenya.
