No quick fixes: Real talk from East Africa’s impact leaders

At the first-ever Acumen East Africa Community Gathering, leaders from across the impact ecosystem came together to explore bold solutions for tackling poverty and building impactful connections. Participants included early-stage entrepreneurs, seasoned Fellows, funders, and portfolio leaders. What emerged were honest reflections on leadership, collaboration, and the real work of building lasting impact in East Africa and beyond.

We captured conversations with a few of the stakeholders shaping the future of this region. Here’s what they had to say.

Q: What emerging leadership challenges do you see for entrepreneurs tackling poverty in East Africa?

Norah Magero – Acumen Fellow & CEO of Drop Access (Kenya)
“One of the biggest challenges is not fully understanding how deep poverty goes. It’s interconnected. Poverty has ‘children’ that reinforce it. We often end up treating symptoms rather than root causes, which spreads us thin and risks our credibility. Leadership means being willing to pause, learn with intent, and act with clarity.”

Adugna Haile – Acumen Investee; Founder & CEO of Adugna Haile PLC (Ethiopia)
“The emerging leadership challenges for entrepreneurs tackling poverty in East Africa are many; however the major ones are related to peace and security, inflation, poor economic base, lower access to market and financial resources, and lower employment opportunities are some of the critical challenges of emerging leadership.”

Q: What unexpected lessons have you learned about scaling impact in East Africa’s complex market?

Kenneth Barigye – Managing Director of Mountain Harvest (Uganda)
“Scaling isn’t linear. What works in one country may completely stall in another, even if the model is strong. Listening to the community and iterating fast is key. Sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t the market; it’s mindset.”

Claudia Muench – Acumen Investee; Co-founder & CEO of BioMassters (Kenya)
“I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that we should be super flexible. We can’t lose sight of the ‘why,’ but we must constantly adapt the ‘how.’ So many unexpected things happen every day like power outages or team changes, and we always have to find a way forward. Flexibility is an absolute must.”

Q: What are the biggest gaps in connecting promising solutions to the people who need them most?

Arnold Maina – Investment Manager at DOB Capital (Kenya)
“Too often, innovators and investors are out of sync. This Gathering shows the value of ecosystem-building, creating rooms where trust, listening, and long-term alignment are prioritized.”

Celeste Tchetgen Vogel – Acumen Foundry Member & CEO of eWAKA Mobility Limited (Kenya & Rwanda)
“Great solutions don’t always reach the people who need them most. Sometimes it’s a pricing issue because products are simply out of reach for the low-income users. And sometimes it’s a distribution issue: Innovations exist but they don’t make it to rural or peri-urban areas where infrastructure is limited. Then there’s the financing gap. At eWAKA we have learned that connecting innovation to real impact takes more than just a great product. It requires an entire ecosystem that’s built on access, trust, and empowerment.”

Q: What has failure taught you as a leader?

Claudia Muench – Acumen Investee; Co-founder & CEO of BioMassters (Kenya)
“Failure is okay if you learn from it. But that doesn’t mean you aim for it. You work to avoid it by planning well and asking for help when needed. I’ve learned from a past business that went sideways, and now I’m applying those lessons at BioMassters. With Acumen’s support, I feel more prepared to avoid the same mistakes.”

Kenneth Barigye – Managing Director of Mountain Harvest (Uganda)
“Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s part of the process. You have to expect it and learn from it. What matters is how you respond: how you grow, how you do things better next time. And something I was reminded of at the Gathering: Your mental health matters. You have to stay grounded and sane in order to make bold decisions the next day.”

What this gathering reveals

The Acumen East Africa Community Gathering created space for alignment between funders and founders, and between ideas and investment, to solve the pressing issue of poverty. It reinforced Acumen’s lasting belief in long-term, values-driven collaboration. 

There are no quick fixes; just committed people working together. Real change begins with community.