Yara Africa & Asia (YAA) launched the Yara Leadership Academy for MSMEs in association with Kuza. Working closely with the Yara Social Impact Team, Kuza has customized its flagship  program, Leadership Academy, aimed at building future-fit competencies and expanding leadership capabilities of 500 MSME business owners – prioritizing youth and women-led businesses  within Yara International‘s communities in Nov 2022.

The Yara Leadership Academy is an MBA inspired executive education program  spread over 12 weeks  aimed at digitizing and building business management and leadership capacity in Yara East Africa’s Agrodealers channel with an emphasis on women and youth empowerment. The program allows the entrepreneurs to learn at their own pace, practice what they learn and follow up with their mentors to refine their goals & plans. The program is designed to run concurrently  with about 500 Retailers, Lead Farmers and FSCs within the Yara Network across  33 counties distributed in 4 regions ie. – Central, North Rift, South Rift & Western.  The 500 MSMEs have been identified through a rigorous application process to benefit from the program.

The Leadership Academy is designed to provide the entrepreneurs access to  three levels of mentorship  that provides them Emotional, Functional & Technical support from the Dedicated Coaches. The personalized learning environment provides the entrepreneurs an opportunity to  learn at their own pace and on their own terms with bite-sized mentorship videos and interactive exercises. The program is delivered through a hybrid model (learning via digital platform and In Person Group Mentorship Session). 

The 500 MSMEs were oriented into the Yara Leadership Academy across 10 locations: Nakuru, Kericho, Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Kisii, Kimana, Machakos, Nyandarua, Meru, Kirinyaga.