Who We Are

Out Eastern Africa, The LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce champions, promotes, supports and empowers Eastern African LGBT+ business owners and entrepreneurs with valuable opportunities to learn, network, do business and prosper, contributing to the redress of the structural and economic injustices of our past. We seek to have a positive impact on the LGBT+ community and the greater Eastern African region. Founded on the principles of taking opportunity to all, business networks extend across 10 African Countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South-Sudan.

Eastern Africa includes some of the most notorious countries as far as LGBT+ inclusion is concerned. What cannot be denied however, is the fact that progress towards LGBT+ equality has been tremendous. Most of the progress however has taken place within the health sector, leaving out the economic part. This has reduced some community members to become beggars, be chased out of their workplaces, and be denied contracts, as a result of their sexual orientations and gender identities.

Out Eastern Africa, The LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce addresses scarce employment opportunities, and discrimination in the workplace of LGBT+ people in Eastern Africa, which are harmful to their wellbeing. This is achieved through empowering partner organizations through advocacy and capacity building, as well as strategic programming in support of our vision and mission.

Mission

Our mission is to champion opportunity, development, and advocacy for our target groups of people and their allies’ business community across Eastern Africa.

We create opportunities for marketing, networking, procurement, and referral-based business growth; programmes that support development of business skills and expertise; and we advocate for positive economic, social, and political change within Eastern-Africa.

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Vision

We envision an economically empowered Eastern-African LGBT+ business community that inspires others.

We pledge to empower our entrepreneurs and professionals, collaborate with non-profit advocates, and engage with business, corporations, and civic leaders to support policies that foster a more inclusive and welcoming business community while learning about the economic vitality of the LGBT+, women, youth, and disabled people’s global community.

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What We Do

We create inclusive programs with an aim of creating opportunities for the LGBT+ community across Eastern Africa. We engage partner organizations, build their capacity, and work alongside them to reach the furthest and most closeted of our members within their areas of operations.

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Advisory Board

Our advisory board comprises representatives from all the countries making up the chamber. Get to know more about our members.

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Partners

By partnering with the world’s LGBT+ business community, we connect the Eastern African region business community to major global business communities.