Green Entrepreneurship: The Case Study of the Kenyan Climate Innovation Centre

Abstract

Sustainability is often perceived as the privilege of large enterprises with enough funds to invest in anything ‘green’. However, the argument presented in this chapter is that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. From the individual enterprise (however small it might be) to the government level where policies on sustainability are formulated and rolled out, countries around the world are seeking to adopt green business practices. This chapter has adopted a thematic analysis to review literature as well as a case study and propose a model of green entrepreneurship that examines initiatives at three levels—the micro, meso, and macro levels. It focuses on how green entrepreneurship may be structured to contribute to economic growth and sustainable business practices at these levels. The chapter begins by defining green entrepreneurship, followed by examining motivations of an individual entrepreneur to engage in green entrepreneurship as well as the ability to innovate and integrate green practices into the business endeavour (the micro level). Next is the meso level that focuses on how all the activities of the value chain need to be ‘green’ for green businesses and a green economy to emerge and thrive. Finally, at the macro level are the institutions that form the policies and support structures to promote green entrepreneurship. The chapter concludes with a case study of Kenya’s Climate Innovation Centre to demonstrate how it supports SMEs at the three levels. Findings show that at the micro level, green entrepreneurship is supported by capacity building, technical assistance, coaching, and mentorship. At the meso level, business advisory services, market development, funding schemes, and sector-specific frameworks are important for the promotion of green entrepreneurship. At the macro level, the role of education, entrepreneurship culture, research institutions, and government are all key factors in developing supportive green entrepreneurship policy interventions, regulations, and strategies.