Conecta Africa Launches in Nairobi to Boost 1,500 Startups Across East Africa
Nairobi has become the launchpad for a new initiative aiming to transform the support landscape for early-stage businesses across Africa. Conecta Africa seeks to boost 1,500 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by creating a stronger collaboration among entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs) from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa.
The initiative, driven by the entrepreneurship platform Bridge for Billions, gathered over 300 stakeholders, including policymakers, funders, and corporate leaders, at a three-day summit in Nairobi’s Windsor Golf Hotel. The summit focused on breaking down barriers that often block women, youth, and rural entrepreneurs from accessing vital resources like capital, markets, and technical expertise.
Julie Murat, co-founder of Bridge for Billions, highlighted the urgency of accessible support systems for startups. “Entrepreneurs are resilient, resourceful people. But we should not expect them to take unnecessary risks just to succeed,” she said. Murat called for entrepreneurship support to be recognized as a “public good” comparable to education, open, equitable, and systemic.
The Kenyan government’s Principal Secretary for MSME Development, Susan Mang’eni, affirmed the initiative’s relevance to national economic goals. “Our youth need more than encouragement. They need tools and skills to create their jobs,” Mang’eni said, noting that Conecta Africa complements ongoing government programs targeting youth and small businesses.
Early efforts will focus on healthcare startups and ventures led by youth and women, building a framework that also includes research and investment partnerships. Backing the initiative are notable institutions such as the International Development Research Centre, Strathmore University, UNIDO, JP Morgan, and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce.
Summit discussions revealed persistent challenges like fragmented funding, poor data sharing, and limited inclusion of vulnerable groups. Chaitali Sinha from Canada’s IDRC called for a shift away from isolated, short-term aid: “Too many organizations are doing great work in isolation. We want to move toward lasting support models rooted in African realities.”
Yann Huguenard, Bridge for Billions’ Senior Business Development Manager for Africa and Europe, stressed that Conecta Africa’s mission extends beyond startups themselves. “It’s about strengthening the organisations that support them,” he said, underlining the need for sustainable local ecosystems that can scale impact across the continent.
The initiative also challenges funders to broaden their focus beyond flashy tech ventures, urging support for sectors critical to everyday life, such as health, agriculture, manufacturing, and housing areas that could drive more inclusive growth in East Africa and beyond.