NEDI Launches Nationwide Mapping Drive to Strengthen Youth and Women Enterprises
Speaking during the National Enterprise Development Initiative (NEDI) mapping workshop, CEO and founder John Nene said the programme seeks to build a stronger, more connected support system for young innovators and women-led ventures.
Nene said the initiative is designed to bridge the longstanding gap between existing national and county empowerment systems and the actual growth of youth enterprises into cottage and large-scale industries.
“We are identifying youths with talents, ideas, and ongoing economic projects and connecting them with opportunities to grow,” he said.
“Kenya has a very robust youth infrastructure from national to county levels, but we see very little impact in terms of these businesses growing into industries that can address unemployment.”
He emphasized that unlike many scattered youth empowerment efforts across the country, NEDI is championing a synergy model that unites government, donors, and the private sector behind a common agenda.
“What we are doing differently is bringing synergy. We are asking: why can’t all sectors stop working in isolation and channel their collective energy towards the beneficiaries?” Nene noted.
Drawing inspiration from systems adopted during the Kibaki era—borrowed from Scandinavian models—Nene stressed that Kenya must intentionally nurture small cottage industries in every region if it hopes to build a sustainable bottom-up economy.
“For this to work, we must ensure that youth and women’s ideas and projects are turned into industries. That is the only way to create jobs,” he said.
A Practical, Non-Political Mapping Session
Nene made it clear that the ongoing mapping workshop is focused on data, not politics.
“This is not a political conference. We want to engage young people in their areas of passion and analyze the gaps that prevent them from accessing available opportunities,” he said.
He explained that although there are many government and private-sector funds, most young people lack the guidance needed to navigate them.
“Don’t just throw opportunities at them—Hustler Fund, Nyota Fund, Youth Entrepreneurship Fund—without walking with them step by step. NEDI is here to chew and soften the opportunities for young people and give them on a silver plate.”
NEDI’s Roots and New National Vision
Nene, who previously co-founded Ongoza Youth, said his experience in NGO work, business, and politics revealed an urgent need to revive and expand NEDI.
“Ongoza worked with many young people, but we couldn’t create big impact because we lacked synergy. With NEDI now fully restructured as the National Enterprise Development Initiative, we are going countrywide,” he stated.
The current workshop is NEDI’s first mapping conference, bringing together 100 young entrepreneurs from counties within the Nairobi metropolitan region. NEDI also operates a digital platform where youth can submit a 300-word summary of their needs for tailored support.
Strengthening County Youth Offices
A key feature of NEDI’s model is empowering county youth departments to implement programs more effectively.
“County governments are willing to help young people, but they are under-resourced. We want to help them build strong infrastructures so they can reach many more youths,” Nene said.
NEDI will complement county efforts with donor linkages, national government coordination, and private sector partnerships.
As the mapping initiative expands across the country, NEDI hopes to build Kenya’s largest organized youth network—connecting ideas, funding, mentorship, and enterprise development into a national economic engine driven by young people and women.
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