23 Mar The PR Test of IWD 2026: Absa, KEPROBA and the Campaigns That Got It Right in Kenya
According to the 2025 Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, only 68.8% of the gender gap has been closed, leaving a stark 31.2% still unresolved. It is against this backdrop that this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) took on even greater significance.
This year’s edition – themed Give To Gain – demanded more than acknowledgment. It demanded positioning, commitment, and clear communication of action. It called for corporate organizations to show up not just as contributors to gender equality efforts, but as powerful storytellers of impact – translating internal action into public narratives that shape perception, influence behaviour, and inspire wider adoption.
The theme also sharpened stakeholder expectations. Customers, employees, investors, and regulators began interrogating every campaign with hard questions: what has been done, who has benefited, and what has changed?
In that environment, the usual purple creatives and symbolic gestures were not going to cut it.
It is with that lens that I reviewed campaigns across telecommunications, finance, government agencies, and everything in between.
Here are the top 3 that stood out the most:
1. Safaricom & M-Pesa Foundation – #WezeshaMama
Safaricom has clearly moved beyond the “inspiring video” era – and thank God for that!
#WezeshaMama was not a momentary hashtag campaign. It was a structured economic empowerment program targeting female micro-entrepreneurs with practical tools, digital skills, and business knowledge to help them operate and scale more effectively in an increasingly digital economy.
From a public relations standpoint, what stands out is the intentional alignment between action and narrative. The campaign was build for credibility – for sure. I noted that the storytelling came after the substance – and that sequencing matters.
Even more telling is the timing. The Moringa, launched nine months prior, was deliberately designed to culminate in March, creating a natural and authentic link to IWD. This is strategic communications at work – where milestones are not manufactured for the calendar, but the calendar is used to amplify real milestones.
Wow!
The result is a campaign that answers the Give to Gain brief with clarity. The “give” is measurable: skills, tools, and access. The “gain” is equally evident: stronger businesses, improved livelihoods, and a ripple effect on the broader economy.
In PR terms, #WezeshaMama succeeds because it closes the gap between message and meaning. It does not just tell a story of empowerment – it demonstrates it.
Kudos to the PR guys at Safcom!
2. ABSA Kenya – #WeSeeYou
Absa Kenya did something many financial institutions are often hesitant to do – they named the problem.
For decades, women have been underserved and, in many cases, overlooked by formal financial systems. #WeSeeYou did not shy away from this reality. Instead, it confronted it directly, using real stories of women navigating – and often being limited by – traditional banking structures.
From a public relations perspective, this was a deliberate shift from safe messaging to courageous positioning. Rather than centering celebration alone, Absa anchored its campaign on validation. It acknowledged lived experiences that many women understand all too well but rarely see reflected by the very institutions meant to serve them.
That choice matters. In an era where audiences are increasingly skeptical of performative campaigns, authenticity becomes a differentiator. By recognizing the disparity and publicly committing to address it, Absa positioned itself not just as a service provider, but as a listening institution—one that understands both the emotional and structural dimensions of financial inclusion.
The strength of #WeSeeYou lies in its clarity of message. It did not attempt to overextend into grand promises. Instead, it focused on a simple but powerful PR outcome: building trust through acknowledgment.
And in doing so, it answered a critical stakeholder question – do you see the problem? – before attempting to solve it.
Don’t you wanna just start banking with them?
3. Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency – #MakeItKenya
Government agencies and creative campaigns rarely belong in the same sentence. KEPROBA challenged that assumption – and did so convincingly.
Their #MakeItKenya International Women’s Day edition was a deliberate reframing of women’s role within Kenya’s export economy. Through a visually engaging and message-driven reel, the agency spotlighted female exporters and positioned them at the center of the “Made in Kenya” brand on the global stage.
From a public relations perspective, the strength of this campaign lies in its clarity of intent and alignment with both national priorities and global IWD discourse. And leaning into the Rights. Justice. Action. Pillar expertly framed export participation as economic justice – shifting the narrative from inclusion as goodwill to inclusion as growth strategy.
What makes this particularly effective is how the communication translates policy into possibility. The campaign does not dwell on institutional messaging. Instead, it visualizes opportunity – making global trade feel accessible, attainable, and within reach for women-owned businesses.
This is a positioning win. In my books, KEPROBA has officially moved from being perceived as a government communicator to a market enabler. Within the Give to Gain lens, the “give” is strategic: platform, visibility, and pathways to global markets. The “gain” is even more compelling: a more competitive, inclusive, and export-ready economy.
Wapi makofi ya wangwana wa KEPBORA?
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The 3 examples will do.
In the course of this review, it was inevitable to come across a campaign that made me want to pull my hair out.
One government body – which I am certain is staffed with brilliant, high-achieving women – decided that their contribution to IWD would be a poster of… one of their male leaders. No female faces. Just the big boss, front and centre, establishing dominance.
Their audience of more than 800, 000 followers would have been forgiven for thinking they were looking at a parody account!
FELT Africa Has You Covered
Didn’t quite nail your IWD campaign? There’s more to come, and we have you covered!
FELT Africa works with organizations to move beyond surface-level communication and into narratives that are credible, strategic, and results-driven. From campaign ideation to execution and amplification, we help brands say the right things, at the right time, in the right way—and most importantly, back those messages with substance.
Talk to us today.