Global Compact Network Kenya

Global Compact Network Kenya Building sustainable and competitive businesses

Representation is not the same as equality. In Kenya's private sector, women hold 40% of entry-level roles but only 28% ...
10/08/2026

Representation is not the same as equality. In Kenya's private sector, women hold 40% of entry-level roles but only 28% of C-suite positions, and the steepest drop happens at the first step into management.

Closing that gap is the work of the Target Gender Equality Accelerator.

On Thursday, 13 August, Global Compact Network Kenya officially launches the 2026 cohort. Dr. Toseef Din, Chief Executive Officer of M.P. Shah Hospital and Board Member of Global Compact Network Kenya, delivers the keynote. She will speak to the responsibility that sits with boards and chief executives, and to why gender equality is a governance question before it is a human resources one, visible in how companies recruit, pay, promote, procure and measure.

Partner remarks will be delivered by Carol N. Mutuku, Deputy General Manager, Sasini Fruits & Nuts EPZ Ltd, and Scholastica Kiboro, Head of Partnerships, Growth and Marketing, Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance (Kenya) Limited.

Over the coming months, participating companies will work through the Women's Empowerment Principles and the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool to establish a clear baseline, set measurable targets, and build action plans with named owners and timelines.

Our appreciation goes to Sasini PLC and Sanlam Allianz for sponsoring the 2026 cohort, and to every company joining us on Thursday. Choosing to examine your organization honestly, and to act on what you find, is a decision that deserves recognition.

Learn more about the Target Gender Equality Accelerator: https://unglobalcompact.org/take-action/target-gender-equality

Global Compact Network Kenya, in partnership with Transformational Business Network Africa, has kicked off the 2026 Grow...
07/08/2026

Global Compact Network Kenya, in partnership with Transformational Business Network Africa, has kicked off the 2026 Growth & Sustainability Accelerator for SMEs.

Growth is exciting, but it also exposes the leadership habits and business systems that can either enable progress or hold it back.

At Bootcamp 1, participants reflected on a question often overlooked in the pursuit of scale: Who am I as a leader, and how does that shape my business?

The session explored the connection between self-awareness, leadership and sustainable growth. Participants examined how their decision-making, communication and leadership styles influence their teams, as well as the systems needed to reduce founder dependency and build stronger, more accountable organisations.

Key reflections included:
▪️ Growth requires leaders to move from doing everything themselves to creating clarity, accountability and results through others
▪️ Businesses can only scale sustainably when systems, roles and decision-making do not rest with one person
▪️ Stronger leadership begins with understanding what is enabling growth and what needs to change

Over the next six months, the Accelerator will support participating SMEs to strengthen their leadership, systems, strategy and sustainability practices for more resilient and responsible growth.

This morning, Global Compact Network Kenya and Puratos Kenya convened leaders from food manufacturing, retail, hospitali...
06/08/2026

This morning, Global Compact Network Kenya and Puratos Kenya convened leaders from food manufacturing, retail, hospitality, agribusiness and the private sector for an Experiential Leadership Breakfast on Food Systems.

Using bread and bakery as a lens, the conversation examined how choices around ingredients, sourcing, production, formulation, waste and consumer communication shape nutrition, supplier resilience and business competitiveness.

In her opening remarks, Judy Njino, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Kenya, challenged businesses to move sustainability out of isolated projects and into product development, sourcing and operations, where decisions are made and budgeted. She emphasized that nutrition and sustainability claims must be evidence-based, and that higher standards should build supplier capability, not shift costs and risks to smaller actors. As she noted, resilience upstream is resilience for the business. Ebru Pilav, General Manager of Puratos Kenya, showed how everyday bakery products can advance better nutrition, responsible sourcing and lower environmental impact.

The executive panel brought these issues into practice: Lynda Kasina, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kianda Foundation and Managing Principal of Kibondeni College of Hospitality, highlighted the role of green skills, partnerships and data-driven decisions in preparing the hospitality workforce and improving efficiency. Shiv Kumar Dhanda, Chief Executive Officer of Spice World, spoke about sourcing constraints, post-harvest losses and the need to invest in farmers, better inputs and stronger production systems to improve quality, reduce waste and meet demand. Lilian Ngugi, Research and Development Director at Puratos Kenya, emphasized that nutritional improvement must make healthier choices easier, not harder. Reformulation must improve nutrition while preserving taste, texture, affordability and commercial viability. Francesca Angiulli, Global Sustainability Director at Puratos, underscored the need for collaboration, transparency and measurement across the value chain, noting that every kilogram of food wasted also represents wasted water, raw materials and energy.

The conversation then moved from dialogue to demonstration as Chef Filip De Kimpe led an interactive showcase of sourdough, grains and seeds, and plant-based solutions. His session reinforced a critical point: sustainable food innovation must still deliver on quality, performance, affordability and taste.

Contributions from the room also highlighted affordability, smallholder capability, food waste, SME access and the partnerships needed to scale promising solutions.

What is one decision your organization can make differently, and where would working with others enable you to achieve more?

We look forward to continuing this conversation and turning shared insight into action across Kenya’s food value chain.

How do we improve nutrition without compromising quality? What does responsible sourcing look like in practice? How do w...
05/08/2026

How do we improve nutrition without compromising quality? What does responsible sourcing look like in practice? How do we balance innovation, resilience and commercial growth in ways that create lasting value for businesses, consumers and communities?

These questions are at the heart of the Experiential Leadership Breakfast, convened by Global Compact Network Kenya and Puratos Kenya. Using bread and bakery as a lens, the breakfast will explore how businesses can advance better nutrition, strengthen responsible value chains and improve environmental performance through the decisions they make across sourcing, product development, manufacturing, retail and hospitality.

The conversation on Advancing Better Nutrition, Responsible Value Chains and Sustainable Growth will feature insights from Lynda Kasina, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kianda Foundation, Shiv Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Spice World, Francesca Angiulli, Global Sustainability Director at Puratos, and Lilian Ngugi, Research & Development Director at Puratos Kenya. Moderated by Damaris Mukulu of Global Compact Network Kenya, the discussion will explore the practical business decisions shaping the future of food.

Together, the conversation will focus on what it takes to translate responsible business principles into viable action and build food systems that are healthier, more resilient and better prepared for the future.

Last week in Naivasha, 18 agribusiness companies took part in a five-day Capacity Building Workshop on Human Rights Due ...
04/08/2026

Last week in Naivasha, 18 agribusiness companies took part in a five-day Capacity Building Workshop on Human Rights Due Diligence (HREDD), delivered by Global Compact Network Kenya as part of the Social Sustainability Impact Programme for the Agribusiness Sector.

As businesses respond to evolving stakeholder expectations and emerging regulatory requirements, Human Rights Due Diligence is becoming an increasingly important part of responsible business practice. Throughout the workshop, participants strengthened their understanding of how to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for actual and potential human rights impacts in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).

The programme covered:
● The business case for Human Rights Due Diligence.
● Identifying salient human rights risks across agricultural value chains.
● Meaningful stakeholder engagement.
● Strengthening grievance mechanisms.
● Tracking, monitoring and communicating progress.
● Developing practical Human Rights Due Diligence Action Plans.

Participants also shared experiences, discussed common challenges and exchanged practical approaches to implementing due diligence across their operations and value chains.

Strengthening Human Rights Due Diligence helps businesses manage risk, strengthen stakeholder trust and contribute to more resilient and responsible value chains. We look forward to supporting participating companies as they put their action plans into practice.

CKL Africa began with trees. Fifteen years later, that same commitment has grown into restored forest land, a school orc...
03/08/2026

CKL Africa began with trees. Fifteen years later, that same commitment has grown into restored forest land, a school orchard, and a programme with measurable impact.

As CKL Africa marks 120 years, its Eco Care Programme shows what sustained environmental stewardship can look like when it is shaped by real community need. The company became a United Nations Global Compact participant in 2015, and since then the programme has helped plant about 2 million trees and restore over 1,700 hectares of land. What began as a response to deforestation and fragile food systems has evolved into a long-term effort grounded in action, learning, and continuous adjustment to on-the-ground realities.

On Earth Day 2026, 5,500 trees were planted at Kinale Forest and 100 fruit trees were planted at Kijabe Township Comprehensive School, bringing together ecosystem restoration and nutrition in a single day of impact. Through long-standing partnerships with community groups, public agencies, and foundations, the programme reflects how shared goals and collaboration can drive sustainability that lasts, even when results take time and not every seedling survives.

Read the full impact story here:
https://globalcompactkenya.org/node/1424

If you are a participant and would like to share an impact story, reach out to us at [email protected]

Bread and bakery touch nearly everyone, every day. That makes them one of the clearest lenses for a harder conversation:...
31/07/2026

Bread and bakery touch nearly everyone, every day. That makes them one of the clearest lenses for a harder conversation: how do businesses balance nutrition, responsible sourcing, resource efficiency and commercial viability, without treating sustainability as an afterthought?

No single company can answer that alone. It takes the value chain, together.

That's why Global Compact Network Kenya and Puratos Kenya are convening an Experiential Leadership Breakfast on The Future of Food, bringing senior leaders from manufacturing, retail, hospitality and agribusiness into one room to move beyond talk and into practice.

Filip De Kimpe, Executive Chef at Puratos Belgium, will lead a live innovation showcase demonstrating how nutrition and sustainability considerations shape real product decisions. Judy Njino, Executive Director at Global Compact Network Kenya, and Ebru Pilav, General Manager at Puratos Kenya, will set the stage with keynote remarks framing why these decisions matter across the value chain, followed by an engaging panel bringing together voices from Global Compact Network Kenya's participant companies and key partners across Puratos Kenya's value chain.

Because the choices behind everyday food, what goes into it, where it comes from and how it reaches consumers, are ultimately choices about the kind of food systems we want to build.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 & 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.Growing a business requires mo...
31/07/2026

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 & 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Growing a business requires more than increasing sales. It requires the systems, financial discipline, governance and leadership needed to scale sustainably.

Delivered by Global Compact Network Kenya in partnership with Transformational Business Network Africa, this six-month accelerator is designed for growth-stage SMEs that are ready to strengthen their businesses for long-term success.

The curriculum covers every stage of responsible growth, including:
• Growth foundations and business systems
• Sales growth and market expansion
• Financial discipline and access to capital
• Governance, risk and compliance
• Operations, teams and sustainable efficiency
• Partnerships and long-term growth

Participants will also benefit from six in-person bootcamps, monthly implementation coaching, expert masterclasses, practical business tools, and an SME Showcase Forum connecting businesses with banks, buyers and ecosystem partners.

Applications close today, 31 July 2026.

View the Curriculum: https://tinyurl.com/SME-Curriculum

Investment: KES 60,000 + VAT per company

Apply now: https://tinyurl.com/SMEGrowthAccelerator

If your business is ready to build stronger systems, improve its investment readiness and scale responsibly, this is your opportunity.

Congratulations to I&M Bank Ltd: Shortlisted to present at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2026! 🎉The SDG Innovatio...
29/07/2026

Congratulations to I&M Bank Ltd: Shortlisted to present at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2026! 🎉

The SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals is a UN Global Compact programme that gives young talent within participating companies the space, mentorship and structured process to turn a real sustainability challenge into a scalable business solution. Each participating country network puts forward its strongest team, and this year that brought together 21 companies representing their national cohorts from around the world.

From this global pool, only five teams were selected to present at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York this September, and I&M Bank is one of them, representing Kenya alongside teams from Nigeria, Ghana, the UK and China. Their innovation, TekeTeke, reimagines how gig economy workers access working capital.

Special recognition goes to the innovators behind this work 👏🏽👏🏽:
▪ Valentine Kabeyu
▪ Jesca Chepkoech
▪ Albert Lumumba
▪ Lucian Ouma

And to their champions, who guided and supported the team throughout the accelerator:
▪ Sidi Katembo
▪ Dipna Shah
▪ Eunice R Gatama

As Global Compact Network Kenya, we are proud to support the young professionals in our network through this accelerator, and moments like this are exactly why the programme matters. It gives people the tools to think differently about business, and the platform to be heard well beyond their own organizations.
To every team in this year's cohort, thank you for the energy, the ideas and the commitment you brought to the table. You are exactly what this accelerator was built for.

And to the rest of our Kenyan participants, applications for the next cohort will open soon. This will be a new opportunity to turn a sustainability challenge into real business value.

Congratulations again to I&M Bank Ltd Bank. We'll be cheering you on all the way to New York. 📯

This morning, Absa Bank Kenya launched its 4th Sustainability and Climate Report, under the theme "Building Tomorrow Tog...
28/07/2026

This morning, Absa Bank Kenya launched its 4th Sustainability and Climate Report, under the theme "Building Tomorrow Together," at Strathmore University Business School, bringing together government, private sector, academia and civil society. The event was presided over by Yusuf Omari, Interim Managing Director and CEO, Absa Bank Kenya.

The report shows Shs 55.3 billion disbursed in sustainable finance and Shs 6.5 billion in climate finance during 2025, with a new ambition to grow sustainable finance to 30% of the portfolio by 2030. It also outlines Absa's continued alignment with the Central Bank of Kenya's Climate-Related Risk Management Guidance and the Kenya Green Finance Taxonomy 2025.

During the CEO reflections segment, Global Compact Network Kenya Executive Director Judy Njino joined Raimond Molenje of the Kenya Bankers Association, Edward Kirathe of Acorn Holdings Africa and Dr. Peter Ndegwa of Safaricom to reflect on Absa's sustainability journey. She traced it back to when Absa joined the UN Global Compact in 2019, walking through the milestones the bank has achieved since then and the progress made across its environmental, social and governance commitments.

She placed that progress against a sobering global backdrop, noting that only 36% of the Sustainable Development Goals are on track to be delivered in the next four years, with 49% moving too slowly and 15% regressing, while pointing to the resilience of private sector actors like Absa in pushing the envelope on impact and unlocking greater progress through partnerships. The morning closed with keynote remarks from Dr. Eng. Festus Ng'eno, Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change, who served as Chief Guest and reinforced the report's call for deeper collaboration between government and the private sector on Kenya's climate agenda.

Congratulations to Absa Bank Kenya, a valued participant of the UN Global Compact on this milestone report.

Review the Absa Sustainability & Climate Report:https://www.absabank.co.ke/content/dam/kenya/absa/pdf/Investor-Relations/Annual-Reports/sustainability-report-2025.pdf

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