New Dawn for African Startups as Conecta Africa Launches in Nairobi
A transformative pan-African initiative designed to strengthen startup ecosystems across the continent was officially launched in Nairobi on Thursday.The program, known as Conecta Africa, is spearheaded by global entrepreneurship platform Bridge for Billions and unites entrepreneur support organisations (ESOs), policymakers, funders, and business leaders from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa.
The initiative seeks to dismantle systemic barriers facing early-stage entrepreneurs especially women, youth, and rural innovators by fostering collaboration, data-driven programming, and long-term partnerships.
The launch event, held at the Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club, marked the conclusion of a three-day summit attended by over 100 stakeholders. During the retreat, 25 ESOs co-created strategies to promote inclusive growth, strengthen local ecosystems, and enhance the sustainability of startup support networks.
“Entrepreneurs are resilient, resourceful people. But we should not expect them to take unnecessary risks just to succeed,” said Julie Murat, co-founder of Bridge for Billions. “Just like education became a public right, we believe entrepreneurship support must become a public good which is accessible, equitable, and rooted in systems.”
Research presented in partnership with the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) identified five major challenges: underfunded ESOs, weak collaboration infrastructure, exclusion of vulnerable groups, lack of data sharing, and fragmented support systems.
Despite these hurdles, participants expressed strong optimism about building interconnected, sustainable support models grounded in African realities.
“Too many organisations are doing great work in isolation,” said Chaitali Sinha of Canada’s IDRC. “Conecta Africa allows us to shift from short-term aid to enduring, locally driven solutions.”
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for MSME Development, Hon. Susan Mang’eni, endorsed the initiative, noting its alignment with the country’s bottom-up economic transformation strategy.
Principal Secretary for MSME Development, Hon. Susan Mang’eni, speaking during the launch of Connecta Africa on Thursday.
She invited Bridge for Billions to collaborate with her ministry on digital learning tools for small enterprises.In its first phase, Conecta Africa will support 1,500 SMEs, with an emphasis on healthcare and youth- and women-led businesses.
The initiative is backed by IDRC, Strathmore University, UNIDO, JP Morgan, and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).
By Sharon Atieno
