WEE Hub Newsletter (Vol.1, Issue 02, Jun 2023)

Abstract

Welcome to our second issue of the University of Nairobi Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Hub newsletter. The Hub is happy to continue interacting with you through this quarterly publication.

The Year 2023 began in earnest and the team at the Hub made significant progress in the research process. Since its establishment in September 2020, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program is now halfway in its five years life cycle. The Hub researchers have strived to make the Hub a leader in generating evidence which policy makers and development workers may use to positively influence social economic policies and programs related to WEE. The key areas of focus remain the Government Affirmative Action Funds and Programs; Entrepreneurship, Formal and Informal Employment; Care Economy and Women’s Work; and Women’s Self-mobilization for WEE. In addition to these thematic areas, we have collaborated with other partners to address other policy issues related to WEE.

This has been done mostly in response to invitations by partners such as the State Department for Gender Affairs; the National Treasury; and the East African Community Department. Moreover, the Hub has embraced the rapid response strategy that has guided us to respond to other critical policies related to women’s economic empowerment.

In the January to April 2023 quarter, the Hub made considerable progress in the implementation of its research agenda. During this period, some projects concluded their fieldwork, data analysis and processing, and report writing. The Hub also embarked on the dissemination of findings detailed in technical reports, and policy advocacy, using various platforms. One key strategy was dissemination through radio in collaboration with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation in two phases through which the Hub reached more than twenty million people. Evidence based advocacy work continued to receive a boost from the Networking and Alliance Building for Women’s Economic empowerment (NABWEE).

We established new partnerships and strengthened existing ones in relation to the Women’s Business Incubation Project, which is featured in this issue where individual women’s businesses and collectives underwent technology training.

The Hub leadership continues to develop the capacity of our researchers through workshops and training while working with other internal and external experts and stakeholders to fulfill our vision to be thought-leader in producing cutting-edge, innovative, rigorous, and accessible evidence through research for impacting policy formulation, implementation and up-scaling for the full realization of women’s empowerment.

We are delighted to share these milestones and hope you too will support our efforts towards the realization of women’s economic empowerment.

Prof. Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira, University of Nairobi WEE Hub Leader & Director, African Women Studies Centre