Unlocking women’s economic opportunity for inclusive growth in Kenya

Kenya’s pursuit of inclusive and sustainable growth requires deliberate focus on expanding women’s economic opportunities. Women contribute substantially to enterprise development, agriculture, household welfare, innovation and community resilience. Strengthening their participation is therefore not only a matter of social justice; it is also an important economic policy priority. The Women Economic Opportunity (WEO) Baseline Report by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) provides evidence that can support more coordinated and targeted action under the National Policy on Women’s Economic Empowerment (NPWEE).

The report assesses women’s economic opportunities across trade and entrepreneurship, manufacturing, Information and Communications Technolgy (ICT) and the digital economy, agricultural value chains, business services, the creative economy and the blue economy. It uses a Women Economic Opportunity Index constructed through Principal Component Analysis to examine six interconnected pillars: access to productive resources; financial inclusion and access to finance; entrepreneurial skills, digital capabilities and training; decision-making and leadership; market access and value chain integration; and social protection and care work.

The overall WEO Index score of 36.2, on a scale where 100 represents the frontier, provides a baseline for understanding the conditions under which women participate in economic activity. The result should be read not simply as a measure of limitation, but as a policy reference point for identifying where investments, institutional reforms and partnerships can generate meaningful progress. Notably, entrepreneurial skills, digital capabilities and training recorded the highest pillar score at 48.6, followed by financial inclusion and access to finance at 46.1. These findings suggest that existing investments in skills development and financial access provide a foundation upon which further interventions can be built.

At the same time, the findings point to the importance of connecting capabilities with resources and systems required to use them productively. Access to productive resources recorded a score of 26, while decision-making and leadership, market access and value chain integration, and social protection and care work scored 34.2, 35.2 and 35.6, respectively. The policy implication is that training alone may not be sufficient. Skills must be accompanied by access to resources including land, equipment, finance, technology, markets, supportive institutions and care arrangements that enable women to participate consistently and competitively.

A first priority should therefore be strengthening women’s ownership and control of productive assets. Access to land, livestock, machinery, tools, agricultural inputs and digital devices can improve enterprise productivity and resilience. National and county governments, financial institutions and development partners should promote approaches that address collateral constraints, strengthen women’s property rights awareness and improve access to productive equipment. Public programmes should also assess whether beneficiaries are able to control and use the resources provided, rather than measuring success only through enrolment or distribution figures.

Financial inclusion should be deepened through products that reflect the circumstances of women-led enterprises. Affordable credit, savings, insurance and digital financial services should be linked to business development support, financial literacy and market opportunities. Simplified application procedures, appropriate repayment arrangements and stronger linkages between women entrepreneurs and formal financial institutions can help improve the use of available financing mechanisms. The objective should be to move from access in principle to meaningful and sustainable financial participation.

The report also highlights the need to improve women’s integration into markets and value chains. Women’s enterprises can benefit from simplified business registration and licensing, accessible information on procurement opportunities, quality standards, shared production facilities and digital platforms. County governments have an important role in supporting local enterprise ecosystems, while national institutions can strengthen linkages to larger markets, public procurement and export opportunities. Programmes should pay attention to the transition from low-value activities to higher-value segments of agricultural, manufacturing, creative, digital and service-sector value chains.

Care responsibilities and social protection require equal attention. Unpaid care and domestic work affect the time available for women to participate in employment, enterprise development, training and leadership. Investment in accessible care infrastructure, flexible work arrangements and social protection systems can support women’s sustained participation in the economy. Care policy should be treated as an economic policy instrument because it influences labour supply, productivity, household welfare and the ability of enterprises to thrive and retain skilled workers. Partnerships between government, employers, communities and service providers will be essential in developing practical and context-sensitive solutions.

The sectoral findings provide a basis for differentiated policy action. ICT and the digital economy recorded the highest sectoral WEO score at 37.4, followed by the creative economy at 34.6 and the blue economy at 33.8. These areas present opportunities for skills-based employment, entrepreneurship and innovation. At the same time, agriculture, manufacturing and business services remain important because of their employment and value-chain potential. Interventions should therefore combine support for emerging sectors with productivity-enhancing reforms in established sectors, including technology adoption, skills upgrading, access to finance and market connectivity.

Implementation will require stronger coordination, monitoring and accountability across the national and county levels. The WEO Index offers a useful baseline against which progress can be tracked over time and across sectors and counties. Future monitoring should examine not only participation in programmes, but also changes in asset ownership, enterprise performance, market access, income, leadership, care burdens and social protection coverage. County-specific evidence should guide prioritisation, recognising that women’s economic opportunities differ according to local economic structures, infrastructure, geography and social conditions.

Kenya has an opportunity to position women’s economic empowerment at the centre of its broader development agenda. The evidence from the WEO Baseline Report supports a coordinated approach that links skills, finance, productive resources, markets, leadership and care systems. Progress will depend on policy coherence and implementation, adequate financing, institutional collaboration and sustained engagement with women-led enterprises and their representative organisations. By translating baseline evidence into targeted action and measurable results, Kenya can strengthen the contribution of women to productivity, innovation, employment creation and inclusive economic growth.

The writers are Mohamednur Duba, a Senior Communications Officer, Dr Rodgers Musamali, Senior Policy Analyst and Dr Nancy Nafula, Head of Governance Department at KIPPRA.