Impact In Action Excursions

TechnoServe is a global non-profit that harnesses the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Operating in 29 countries, TechnoServe connects entrepreneurs to information, capital, and markets, enabling them to build competitive and sustainable businesses.

In Kenya, TechnoServe partnered with elea Foundation to launch Smart Dukas, an initiative transforming the country’s micro-retail sector into a thriving, inclusive ecosystem. What began as training for small shop owners has evolved into a national network of over 5,000 micro-retailers across 35 counties, strengthening collective purchasing, improving access to finance, and formalizing the sector through the National Duka Owners Organization (NDO).

Now entering its next phase, Smart Dukas is focused on system-wide integration and sustainability, expanding digital tools, forging corporate and financial partnerships, and scaling regionally to Ethiopia.

During the field visit, delegates will see how Smart Dukas business groups operate as powerful last-mile distribution channels, driving inclusive economic growth. They will experience how collective purchasing, savings, and digital innovation are empowering micro-retailers while opening new opportunities for corporates, investors, and communities across Africa.

Jackfruit Finance is Africa’s first fully digitized school lender, offering affordable financing and an integrated procurement platform that enables low-resource schools to access the capital, goods, and services they need to thrive. Through its Jackfruit Hub, schools can secure fast, data-driven loans and purchase essential resources, ensuring that financing directly improves infrastructure, teaching quality, and learning outcomes.

Driven by the vision that every African child learns in a thriving school, Jackfruit is unlocking sustainable growth in education by combining finance, technology, and impact at scale.

During the visit to Oakpark Academy, a Jackfruit-supported school, delegates will see this impact in action, touring upgraded facilities, engaging with teachers and students, and hearing how affordable financing has transformed operations and learning experiences. This visit highlights how innovative education finance is enhancing outcomes for over 198,000 students and 7,900 teachers, laying a stronger foundation for Africa’s future.

Founded in 2013, D&R Studios is a creative audio-visual production company dedicated to producing high-quality, entertaining, and impactful content that brings African stories to life. As a full-service production house, D&R Studios serves as a one-stop shop for all audio-visual needs from concept to screen with a mission to showcase Africa’s voice on its own terms.

During the field visit, delegates will experience firsthand how creative enterprise drives resilient growth, witnessing how D&R Studios harnesses storytelling and innovation to shape narratives, inspire change, and expand economic opportunities. The visit underscores the importance of investing in African storytellers, as it fosters a sustainable creative economy that empowers local talent and positions Africa as a global hub of creativity and cultural influence.

Shamiri, meaning “thrive” in Swahili, is reimagining mental health care for young people in Africa and beyond. Founded in 2018 based on research at Harvard’s Lab for Youth Mental Health, the Shamiri Institute combines rigorous science with local insight to develop scalable, affordable mental health solutions that empower youth to reach their full potential.

Using a tiered care model, Shamiri trains lay-providers to deliver brief, evidence-based, and stigma-free interventions, with pathways to professional support when needed. This approach makes mental health care accessible, cost-effective, and scalable, addressing a critical treatment gap affecting over 80% of young people in African countries.

Since its inception, Shamiri has grown from pilot studies in Kibera to reaching over 100,000 youth annually through Shamiri Hubs and Shamiri Partners, proving that localized, research-driven care can transform lives at scale.

During the visit, delegates will witness how Shamiri transforms science into impact, observing a proven model that empowers Africa’s youth, strengthens human capital, and shapes a healthier, more resilient future for the continent.

Tradecare Africa is a social enterprise providing end-to-end supply chain solutions to SMEs across Eastern Africa through digital tools, training, certification, and market linkages. Its mission is to help farmers and agribusinesses access markets and meet sustainability standards while improving productivity and profitability.

Through the Mazao Safi platform and FarmDataPod, Tradecare delivers data-driven extension services using its unique RASTA methodology (Register, Analyze, Share, Train, Adjust) supported by e-learning via Tradecare Academy. These tools equip farmers and extensionists with the skills to produce safe, high-quality crops for both domestic and export markets.

Complementing this is React Cert Africa, an independent certification body that ensures compliance with international standards such as GLOBALG.A.P. and social responsibility benchmarks, conducting hundreds of audits across East Africa. The Tradecare Market platform then closes the loop, linking farmers directly to buyers locally and globally.

During the visit, delegates will experience this fully integrated digital ecosystem — seeing how data, certification, and market access come together to build resilient, competitive, and sustainable agribusinesses across Africa.

Tawi Fresh Kenya is an Agri-SME transforming Africa’s agricultural value chain through a B2B digital marketplace that connects farmers directly to buyers, finance, and value-added services. By organizing farmers, streamlining logistics, and ensuring consistent demand, Tawi Fresh enables fair, transparent, and stable markets for high-quality fresh produce.

With over 2,000 active farmers (65% women, 29% youth), 450+ products, and more than 10,000 deliveries, Tawi Fresh is demonstrating that technology can drive inclusion, efficiency, and resilience in the agricultural sector.

During the field visit, delegates will experience how Tawi Fresh’s digital “farm-to-fork” model reduces food waste, boosts farmer incomes, and strengthens enterprise growth, showcasing a scalable, data-driven solution that is building a more efficient, transparent, and sustainable agri-food system for Africa.

Roam is pioneering electric mobility in Africa, starting in Kenya, with a mission to deliver affordable, low-emission transport built for the realities of emerging markets.

From electric motorcycles and buses to charging infrastructure and fleet software, Roam’s vertically integrated model cuts emissions by over 80% while reducing transport costs and creating local jobs. Designed and built in Kenya, Roam proves that the best solutions for Africa are made in Africa.

During the field visit, delegates will experience how Roam is transforming mobility, touring local production lines, exploring the Roam Air electric motorcycle and Roam Transit bus, and seeing how innovative energy systems and fleet management software enable efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.

Roam demonstrates that electric transport in Africa isn’t just possible, it’s practical, profitable, and built to last.

From a tiny kitchen feeding 25 children, Food4Education has grown into an African-led model transforming how societies nourish and empower the next generation.

Today, over 600,000 school meals are prepared and delivered daily across Kenya through a system that blends technology, local sourcing, and sustainability. Each $0.30 meal fuels learning, improves nutrition, and supports parents and smallholder farmers.

Delegates will tour Africa’s largest green school-feeding kitchen, explore the Tap2Eat cashless wristband technology, and see how real-time data powers efficiency, transparency, and impact.

Food4Education is proving that when funding meets delivery capacity, school feeding becomes a national infrastructure, not a charity.