At this year’s AVPA Annual Conference in Nairobi, Afrishela’s Senior Investment Officer Jane Mbinya stood firmly for women entrepreneurs who are too often left out of traditional finance. On the panel “Capital that Fits: Exploring Impact-Aligned Investment Models for SMEs,” she challenged investors to move beyond rigid credit scoring and one-size-fits-all products.
Jane shared how Afrishela’s approach looks at women founders and their businesses in a more holistic way. Rather than excluding them as “too risky,” Afrishela uses flexible tools such as staggered disbursements, revenue-linked repayments and strong post-investment support to manage risk while backing growth.
Meet the entrepreneurs:
Nyandia Kamawe of MokoMaya – Upcycling glass waste into high-value home décor pieces, creating dignified jobs for women and youth through circular economy innovation.
Margaret Mumbua Kilonzo of Dalani Farm Produce Limited – Driving value addition in the dairy sector, supporting 1,000+ farmers and improving rural incomes.
Mwihaki Njehu of Grace Rock Farms – Strengthening food security in Kenya by supplying clean, certified potato seed to 4,000+ smallholder farmers.
They showed what is possible when “capital that fits” meets women with bold ideas. More than thirty investors and ecosystem partners engaged directly with them, starting conversations that could grow into real deals. They represented three very different, yet equally powerful, stories of women reshaping Africa’s economy from the ground up.
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