Women's Empowerment in Kenya: A Catalyst for Socio-Economic Growth

In a country like Kenya, where women play a crucial role in agriculture, a remarkable initiative by Regen Organics is taking tangible steps toward women's empowerment. This Kenyan company has achieved remarkable economic growth, leading to benefits for both men and women. The recycling plant, located in the outskirts of Nairobi, has been actively hiring women in recent years, with the main clients being female farmers and farm shops, who have many female employees. The company has also launched a yearlong women's empowerment project to strengthen the recruitment and training of women for positions in factory operations, sales, and distribution.

Key Takeaways:

• Regen Organics, a Kenyan company, has achieved remarkable economic growth, thanks to its innovative circular economy business using insects, which helps to resolve social issues such as public hygiene in slum areas and increasing the food supply.
• The company has actively hired women in recent years, with the main clients being female farmers and farm shops, who have many female employees.
• Regen Organics has launched a yearlong women's empowerment project to strengthen the recruitment and training of women for positions in factory operations, sales, and distribution.
• The project has led to a remarkable increase in the number of female workers, from less than 10% two years ago to over 30% today.
• The company has seen a significant improvement in work-life balance for all employees, including men, with shorter working hours and less overtime.
• Regen Organics has also increased the number of female sales and distribution promoters from 12 to 57 and provided training on the company's products and customer retention skills.
• The number of female farmer associations among the company's clients has increased from 54 to 138, and women-led farm shops from 104 to 184.

Statistics:

• 74% of women in the non-agricultural sector in sub-Saharan Africa and 80% in South Asia are engaged in informal employment, earning low wages or being self-employed as small-scale vendors, shop owners, or migrant workers (UNCTAD).
• Expanding women's participation in the global economy to the same level as men would increase gross domestic product by $28 trillion, or 26%, over 10 years (McKinsey Global Institute).
• Businesses that promote gender diversity at the management level see their profits rise by an average of 10 to 15% (International Labour Organization).
• The agricultural sector accounts for 34.1% of Kenya's GDP, and around 70% of farm workers are women (World Bank).
• Child marriages remain an issue in Kenya, with the country ranking 128th out of 191 countries in the 2021 Gender Inequality Index of the United Nations Development Programme.

Sources:

• McKinsey Global Institute, "The Power of Parity: How Advancing Women's Equality can add $12 Trillion to Global Growth," 2015
• ILO, "Women in Business and Management: The Business Case for Change," 2019
• World Bank,
• United Nations Development Programme, 2021 Gender Inequality Index