NAIROBI, Kenya – The first group of seven innovators to graduate from the UK’s Green Business Building (GBB) accelerator program has been honoured by the British High Commission.
The seven entrepreneurs received three months of company development training and mentoring from more than thirty international business experts after being chosen through a very competitive application process.
Consequently, the graduating companies are now prepared to tackle fundamental business issues, enhance their customer focus, and pitch their value propositions to investors to generate capital.
This first cohort encompasses a wide range of industries, including green agri, biofuels, recycling, and the infrastructure and assembly of electric vehicles.
The UK and Kenya are committed to developing and scaling small, creative firms to generate growth, and this includes the expansion of all businesses through the accelerator.
–Why was the accelerator program established?–
The decision to launch this accelerator program was motivated by Manufacturing Africa’s research, which showed that by 2030, new green prospects might generate $2–4 billion in annual income and at least 200,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout Kenya’s green industries.
Tertia Bailey, Manufacturing Africa Advisor at the British High Commission, said that the graduation of the seven graduates on Wednesday, March 2, 2025, shows the incredible potential of Kenya’s business landscape and the fantastic opportunities to grow sustainable, profitable and green businesses in the region.
“Our partnership with Manufacturing Africa is providing job opportunities for Kenyans as well as helping drive economic growth and enhance resilience to environmental and climate shocks. The UK-Kenya partnership is thriving—we’re going far together,” said Bailey.
The United Kingdom remains one of Kenya’s key strategic partners. As we strengthen this relationship, we are reviewing our Strategic Partnership Agreement for 2025–2030 to further enhance mutual growth and cooperation.At State House Nairobi, I met British High Commissioner
Launched in January 2025, the GBB accelerator program is an initiative of the UK-funded Manufacturing Africa program designed to build a thriving green manufacturing ecosystem.
The program aims to find, fund, and scale companies, ultimately positioning Nairobi as a global hub for green businesses and green jobs.
The three-month program provides innovative start-ups with hands-on, tailored advisory support to help raise funding and scale sustainable pro-climate solutions.
What is the difference between the accelerators?
Manufacturing Africa is a UK government-funded program that aims to attract £1.2 billion of foreign direct investment into African manufacturing and create 90,000 jobs by 2026.
Joseph Mungai, CEO of AceleAfrica and a graduate from the program, said the difference between the current accelerator programme and others he has participated in is that support is tailored to individual businesses to address their unique challenges.
“The biggest takeaway as a business is refining our business storytelling approach using market data,” Mungai said.
How best to drive growth & create jobs?Minister for Africa @Lord_Collins listened to leaders from Kenya’s financial sector for frank discussions about opportunities and challenges for UK-Kenya partnerships in this crucial area.#GoFarGoTogether
On his part, Thomas Pascoe, Manufacturing Africa program Team Leader, said the first cohort of the GBB accelerator program has been a success and a valuable experience for his team to refine their offering.
“We plan to admit 20 more companies over the next 12 months. We’ve already put out a call for promising and ambitious start-ups in green manufacturing and adjacent spaces to apply for the next cohort, which will start in the next few weeks,” explained Thomas.
Meanwhile, it should not go without saying that Manufacturing Africa provides manufacturing companies and investors with fully funded transaction advisory services to fast-track investment and delivers technical assistance to help transform subsectors or unblock challenges in the enabling environment.
Who were the successful seven high-potential innovative businesses
Out of 115 applicants, the seven high-potential innovative businesses that were selected for the inaugural cohort are:
• AceleAfrica: A battery technology company pioneering sustainable lithium batteries
• Bio-Logical: A manufacturer of organic fertilizer targeting small-scale farmers
• Chemolex: A manufacturer of sustainable and biodegradable plastic to replace single-use plastic
• InsectiPro: A manufacturer of insect-based protein products
• Jani: A sustainable skincare products manufacturer
• Songa Mobility: An electric mobility solutions company designed for rural sub-Saharan Africa
• Tehanu: A conservation company
The programme concluded with an investor engagement event aimed at matching the companies with potential investors who also gave advice and guidance on how to best optimise fundraising opportunities.
