Mombasa, Kenya – The Westerwelle Startup Haus in Mombasa County is celebrating a major milestone in its efforts to transform youth perspectives on entrepreneurship and digital technology, helping young people grow sustainable businesses and strong brands.
Speaking in Mombasa, the Country Director, Mercy Mkulu, said the hub successfully implemented five key programmes last year, which have had a significant impact on youth across the county and the wider East African region.
Mkulu noted that some of the programmes were implemented across East African countries, with top-performing participants selected for an exchange programme in Tanzania.
“We took some of the best participants from these programmes to Tanzania for an exchange. They shared knowledge and, when they returned, they had learned a lot from one another, which has helped them to run their businesses better,” Mkulu said.
Among the programmes is Digi Talents, which focuses on equipping youth in Mombasa with digital skills and livelihoods. Another initiative, ENEA, aims to bridge the gap in digital trade and enable young people to earn income through cross-border digital opportunities.
The Afro Green and Blue programme focuses on environmental conservation, particularly addressing plastic waste to prevent pollution of the ocean, while the Africa Investment Bridge links African startups with European investors to help them scale up their businesses.
Mkulu said the Africa Investment Bridge has already enabled several startups to secure funding from European investors, allowing many young entrepreneurs to upgrade and expand their businesses.
Overall, the programmes have reached more than 600 entrepreneurs, partnered with over 100 organisations, and engaged more than five funding partners.
However, Mkulu acknowledged that changes in USAID funding have pushed the hub to become more innovative in sourcing alternative funding to sustain its programmes.
She urged young people to focus on acquiring practical skills that will enable them to become self-employed rather than waiting for formal employment opportunities.
On her part, Fridah Okello, Programmes Manager at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, said the foundation partnered with Westerwelle Startup Haus to support youth in Mombasa by nurturing their ideas and startups, enabling them to expand their businesses and create job opportunities for others.
Beneficiaries of the programmes shared success stories, highlighting the impact of the initiative. Isaac Mulei said the training helped him gain proposal-writing skills, which have enabled him to successfully lobby for funding for his business.
Meanwhile, Pauline Achando said the ENEA programme helped her expand her tour agency business into Tanzania and Uganda.
“It was not easy to bridge the gap, but the ENEA programme helped me to do business in the two countries. I now aspire to expand to other East African countries,” she said.
The milestone underscores Westerwelle Startup Haus’ growing role in shaping a new generation of digitally skilled, innovative and environmentally conscious entrepreneurs in Kenya and the region.
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