Empowering local entrepreneurs for sustainable growth in Kenya
Local entrepreneurs are key to economic development and sustainable growth. By giving them the right tools and resources, they can create sustainable businesses, drive innovation, and generate jobs in their communities.
In 2016, Amelia Hopkins Phillips founded Somo Africa to support micro-entrepreneurs in Kenya by offering training, coaching, access to new markets and financial support. The idea for Somo was born from her experiences in Nairobi’s informal settlements, where she saw how local youth groups started businesses to self-finance their community initiatives. She realised that sustainable business models, rather than aid, were the key to long-term development. With Somo Africa, she wanted to give entrepreneurs in vulnerable areas access to the knowledge, funding and networks they needed to build sustainable businesses and create change in their communities.
Somo offers a three-step entrepreneurial journey – from basic business education via the digital platform Digi Somo to in-depth training in Somo Academy and on to Somo Invest, an accelerator program that provides entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship and individual coaching to scale their businesses. Social Initiative is supporting SOMO’s expansion in Western Kenya by funding 188 entrepreneurs in the Accelerator Program.
Since 2016:
