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For Nadhifa Jama, supporting entrepreneurs isn’t just a job—it’s calling. As the Regional Manager-Coastal Kenya at Somo Africa, she’s deeply committed to supporting women entrepreneurs, early-stage businesses and growth-stage enterprises. She equips them with the crucial training, advisory support and – critically – mentoring they need to flourish and scale.
With 10,874 entrepreneurs Digitally Trained, 3945 Somo Academy graduants and 732 receiving financial and business development support, Somo’s impact is significant. But for Nadhifa, one thing was clear: mentoring needed to be more structured, strategic and impactful. “We already had internal mentoring programmes and advisory support at Somo, but I wanted to enhance them with advanced tools and frameworks. That’s what led me to The Human Edge’s Mentoring Skills and Practice (MSP) programme.”
Coming from a training background, Nadhifa had experience guiding entrepreneurs, but she wanted to deepen her mentoring skills and integrate more effective strategies into Somo’s mentoring initiatives. “My goal was to gain tools and frameworks that would help us run mentoring more effectively. The programme didn’t just meet my expectations—it went beyond them.”
One of her key takeaways was the importance of building genuine rapport. She learned how to cultivate trust-based relationships with mentees, ensuring that mentoring conversations were engaging, constructive and long-lasting. “The peak rapport model really stood out for me. It helped me understand how to build strong connections with mentees, communicate effectively and offer meaningful feedback.”
Before the training, one of Nadhifa’s biggest challenges was maintaining consistent engagement with mentees. Conflicting schedules and time constraints often led to irregular mentoring sessions, making it difficult to track progress and build momentum. The MSP programme provided her with the strategies she needed to structure and sustain mentoring relationships, ensuring mentees remained engaged and accountable. She also learned how to shift the dynamic from advice-giving to empowerment – guiding mentees to think critically, assess their own resources and take ownership of their decisions, rather than simply relying on their mentors for all the answers. “I used to feel like I had to provide solutions. But now, I focus on asking the right questions, helping entrepreneurs reflect, assess their own resources and find solutions that work for them.”
This shift has made a noticeable difference. Mentees are now more engaged, more intentional about setting their goals and more committed to following through—because the goals they set come from them, not from their mentor.
Beyond improving one-on-one mentoring, Nadhifa is now embedding structured mentoring across Somo’s programmes. She is working with her team to develop clear frameworks, measurable KPIs and structured mentoring sessions that support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. This includes:
“We’re not just mentoring for the sake of it—we’re creating real, measurable change in how entrepreneurs grow their businesses.”
The training didn’t just impact Nadhifa’s mentoring approach—it also shaped how she leads within her organisation. Since completing the programme, colleagues have begun seeking her insights on mentoring, asking for advice on how to structure mentoring sessions and measure progress. “Now, my team members come to me for guidance on how to structure their mentoring, set KPIs and engage with mentees effectively. It’s not just me benefiting from this training—it’s strengthening mentoring across our entire organisation.”
She has also become more reflective in her leadership, focusing on empathy, effective communication and empowering her team to take ownership. While she sees this as an ongoing journey, she is already noticing positive changes in how she engages with her team and others within Somo.
Looking ahead, Nadhifa is committed to expanding mentoring for entrepreneurs, particularly women in social enterprises. She firmly believes that entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for economic and social change—but without proper guidance, many entrepreneurs struggle to grow and scale their impact. “Entrepreneurship is at the heart of solving global challenges. I want to keep supporting entrepreneurs, training them and connecting them to opportunities that help them grow their businesses and create jobs in their communities.”
For Nadhifa, the MSP programme was a game-changer, and she is actively recommending it to others in the entrepreneurship support space. “This programme is incredibly relevant, timely and insightful. Anyone passionate about supporting entrepreneurs will benefit from it.”
She also sees MSP as a valuable complement to technical business training, helping entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs) not just teach skills, but also build strong, trust-based mentoring relationships. “We already had the knowledge and resources. This programme showed us how to deliver mentoring in a way that builds lasting relationships and truly empowers entrepreneurs.”
With a stronger mentoring approach, structured tools and a clear vision for impact, Nadhifa is not just supporting entrepreneurs—she’s ensuring mentoring becomes a cornerstone of their success
Nadhifa took part in the Mentoring Skills and Practice for Supporter of Entrepreneurs Course in September 2024. The programme involved 123 mentors from 16 countries across SSA and MENA. For more details on the Mentoring Skills and Practice Course, click here.
