Policy Frameworks for Inclusive Growth: Leveraging Private Sector and NGO Partnerships to foster Sustainable Livelihoods for Women in Last-Mile Communities in East Africa and the Sahel

Across East Africa’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), extreme poverty persists despite decades of intervention, driven by climate shocks, weak market systems, and limited infrastructure. In Kenya’s ASAL counties, food poverty has reached 63% in Turkana, while a single five-season drought (2020–2023) wiped out an estimated $1.5 billion in household wealth.

The Rural Entrepreneur Access Program (REAP), implemented by the BOMA Project, demonstrated that graduation approaches can deliver sustained household-level gains. Three to five years post-exit, 81%of participants continued to operate businesses, household savings increased by 78%, and food insecurity declined significantly. Income gains ranged from +38% to +205% across countries, with strong Social Return on Investment ratios reaching up to 5.6:1.

However, these gains are constrained by structural barriers. A persistent gender gap remains, with men realizing significantly higher income gains than women, highlighting the need for targeted interventions in asset ownership, mobility, and market access. More critically, the research found that while graduation works at the household level, the broader market ecosystem is underdeveloped. Policy frameworks lack incentives for private investment, and NGOs’ role in de-risking markets and aggregating demand remains underutilized.

The evidence suggests a clear path forward: governments must embed graduation pathways into policy frameworks, donors should shift toward outcomes-based and blended finance models, and BOMA must strengthen its role as a system broker, leveraging its data, partnerships, and field presence to unlock last-mile markets at scale.