Thematic Expert- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (Kenya)

The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics is an advisory and research organization focused on evaluation and implementation of behavioral interventions in understudied countries and populations. Busara’s mission is to work with researchers and organizations to advance and apply behavioral science in pursuit of poverty alleviation. This involves the applicat…

Thematic Expert- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (Kenya)

Purpose of the Role

The Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Thematic Expert brings specialist expertise in entrepreneurship, financial sector development, MSME finance, and inclusive finance mechanisms (including credit guarantees, digital financial services, and value chain finance) relevant to Kenya and the East Africa region. On this assignment, the expert leads the analysis of financial inclusion outcomes, assesses contribution to system- and ecosystem-level change in the financial sector, and contributes substantively to final review reports. The expert will support Busara and Mastercard Foundation Kenya to establish:

• How trends in Kenya’s entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSME sector are impacting youth employment opportunities where the strategy is active in Kenya.

• The extent to which the strategy partnerships and investments are positioned to respond to and capitalize on these trends.

• The barriers, gaps, and opportunities for meaningful participation of young women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and refugee communities in entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

• Opportunities, risks, and gaps in the strategy’s entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSME sector positioning, and practical, prioritized recommendations to strengthen it.

Key Responsibilities

• Review literature, strategy documents, partner reports, and results data on entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSMEs in Kenya.

• Analyze sector trends, key actors, and ecosystem dynamics, and benchmark Kenya’s context against relevant East African strategies.

• Conduct key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations with ecosystem actors, partners, and other informed respondents.

• Assess program relevance, coverage, and alignment with national priorities, with attention to youth employment, skilling, and participation by young women, PWDs, and refugee communities.

• Identify barriers, gaps, opportunities, and priority partnerships, delivery models, and sub-sectors to strengthen youth participation and outcomes.

• Evaluate how sector knowledge dissemination contributes to dignified and fulfilling work and improved financial outcomes for youth.

• Provide technical guidance on evaluation design, sampling, data collection tools, analytical frameworks, and enterprise-related theory of change and assumptions.

• Support the design and interpretation of POA indicators, with particular attention to enterprise-based pathways and progress.

• Assess participant experiences and outcomes related to enterprise establishment, growth, market access, productivity, resilience, financial inclusion, and business continuity.

• Provide technical input on enterprise finance and financial inclusion pathways, including access to finance, investment decisions, loan use, repayment, and progression dynamics.

• Support development of enterprise performance frameworks that reflect informal, emerging, and growth-oriented businesses.

• Interpret enterprise outcomes across participant segments, including youth-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises, refugee-owned enterprises, persons with disabilities, MSMEs, and SMEs.