Pioneering Health Entrepreneurship: Creating Employment Pathways for Youth in Primary Healthcare

For far too long, entrepreneurship was absent from healthcare education, often treated as a generic and disconnected unit designed primarily for business students rather than health professionals. This oversight resulted in generations of health workers missing the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship as a means for innovation, self-employment, and community impact. However, this gap is now being addressed. A significant shift is underway, positioning health entrepreneurship as a critical skill set for 21st-century health professionals.

At the forefront of this movement is the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) program, implemented by Amref Health Africa in Kenya in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Through AHC, transformative efforts are taking root: from a customized short course on Health Entrepreneurship for health workers to a new Health Entrepreneurship curriculum for Community Health Promoters. The integration of Health Entrepreneurship into training programs at institutions like KMTC represents more than just curriculum reform; it signifies a mindset revolution.

“We developed the entrepreneurship curriculum for CHPs through a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, state departments of Cooperatives and MSMEs, Presidential Cooperatives Advisors, office of the first lady, counties and other stakeholders. The AHC program aims to capacitate 17,000 CHPs in Nakuru,Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos to improve their livelihoods as they offer quality community-based Primary Health Care Services”. Aloise Gikunda, AHC, Manager.

Young people are now being equipped not only to join the health workforce but also to create opportunities within it. Health entrepreneurship is emerging as a strategic response to youth unemployment while fostering innovation in primary healthcare delivery. The message is powerful and clear: youth in healthcare no longer have to wait for jobs—they can create them. The future of African health systems lies in the hands of young, entrepreneurial change-makers ready to lead with purpose, creativity, and impact.

The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Cooperatives, MSMEs, and Trade, has begun rolling out the newly developed Community Health Promoter (CHP) Health Entrepreneurship curriculum in Kiambu County. A total of 94 Community Health Assistants, 13 Sub-County Community Health Services focal persons, 13 Sub-County Cooperative Officers, and 13 Sub-County Trade Officers have been trained on the curriculum content as Trainers of Trainers (ToTs).

This initiative has strengthened multisectoral collaboration between the health, trade, and cooperative sectors, ensuring that sub-county teams are well-positioned to jointly implement health entrepreneurship initiatives within Primary Health Care (PHC) settings, aiming to address community health challenges and improve the economic well-being of CHPs and community care groups.

“Community Health Promoters are the unsung heroes of grassroots care, serving tirelessly often with limited financial support. This training marks a turning point: we’re equipping CHPs not only to save lives but also to sustain themselves through entrepreneurship. By transforming community health units into income-generating Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), we’re building a health system that empowers both service and survival. This is how we localize innovation—by giving health workers the tools they need to heal their communities and transform their own lives.” Teresia Wanjiru Njoroge, Director of Public Health, Kiambu County.

Rooted in locally led, people-centred approaches, the health entrepreneurship model aims to address the social determinants of health by fostering economic empowerment, promoting gender equity, and leveraging community structures to support sustainable livelihoods. By driving positive behavior change and encouraging health-seeking practices among care groups, the model plays a key role in increasing demand for Primary Health Care (PHC) services. It also serves as an effective incentive mechanism, boosting the motivation, performance, and retention of Community Health Promoters (CHPs), which is essential for strengthening service delivery at the community level.

“Health is the foundation of national development—and through this partnership, we’re providing our Community Health Promoters with not just a chance to serve, but to thrive. By equipping them with entrepreneurship skills, savings knowledge, and cooperative formation tools, we’re turning grassroots health work into a pathway for economic independence. This collaboration between health, trade, and cooperatives is not just timely—it’s transformational. When CHPs learn to manage businesses and finances, they uplift not only themselves but also entire communities. This is the future we’re building together: sustainable, empowered, and community-led.” — Margaret Komo, Cooperative Officer, Kiambu County

This integrated model, backed by the Ministries of Health, Trade, and Cooperatives, is more than an intervention; it is a reimagining of community health as a viable economic pathway, especially for teen mothers, youth, and underserved groups. The future of health in Kenya lies not only in hospitals but also in empowered communities led by entrepreneurial health workers who heal, educate, and innovate. As Samuel, a sub-county cooperative officer, stated, “We’re not just giving CHPs knowledge—we’re giving them the power to transform their lives and their communities.”

Author: Wekesa Noah – Communication Specialist, Amref Health Africa