Safely storing and transporting heat-sensitive medical products, such as vaccines, blood for transfusions, and insulin, is a challenge for health clinics in rural areas of the country, where access to electricity is often unreliable.
With her engineering background, Ms. Magero decided this was a problem she could solve. He founded his own company, Drop Access, and created Vacci Box, an innovative solar-powered mobile refrigerator that can be transported on a moped or even a donkey, while ensuring that products are cooled to exactly the right temperature.
However, inventing the Vacci Box was just the first step in helping other people in your situation. Through local contacts she learned about the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and was able to access the training she needed to become a successful businesswoman.
Norah Magero, CEO of Kenyan health technology company Drop Access
The future of the industry must be inclusive
Today, Drop Access sells its products in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Ivory Coast, with ambitions to expand across Africa and Southeast Asia, and Ms Magero won a Women in Industry award at this year’s UNIDO Global Industry Summit.
By dedicating a full day to the empowerment of women and their role in the future of the industry and the economy, the Summit sent a clear message: the future of the industry must be inclusive. The contributions of women innovators, entrepreneurs and policymakers were highlighted, while speakers addressed the barriers that continue to limit their full participation in the industry.
“Despite decades of commitments, women remain underrepresented in the sectors that shape our future, especially in green, digital and high-tech industries,” said UNIDO Chief Policy Officer Cecilia Estrada at the conference’s opening session. “Gender and leadership pay gaps persist in the manufacturing, energy and agricultural industries. These disparities are as unfair as they are inefficient. They cost us innovation, resilience and inclusive growth.”
The support that UNIDO is making available to women business leaders like Ms. Magero includes entrepreneurship programs that open women’s access to financial markets and technology, and investments in STEM and digital skills for women and girls, preparing them for leadership in the industries of the future.
A breakthrough was achieved on Tuesday when UNIDO Member States adopted the Resolution on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Industrial Development, which aims to ensure that gender equality is embedded in all UNIDO operations, programs and partnerships.
An exhibition celebrating women supported by UNIDO’s ELLEvate program (Riyadh, November 2025)
CEOs in the workplace and at home
Drop Access provides a snapshot of what a more equal business environment could look like. “We try to ensure that women have equal employment and leadership opportunities in the company,” explains Ms. Magero. “If you look at how we are structured, there are almost 50% men versus women in leadership positions and even in other positions, including engineering, STEM and manufacturing.”
Achieving this equality has been a conscious decision for Ms. Magero, who has spoken in the past about the discrimination she had to overcome in a society where women’s needs were considered unimportant. “I grew up with books and other educational materials that showed women carrying babies on their backs and working hard in the kitchen, while men carried briefcases to work or wore a graduation gown,” she told UN News in 2022. “This visual representation pointed out where women and men belonged.”
Three years later, she has proven that female CEOs can succeed in Kenya, despite the additional obstacles they face. In the face of adversity, this has created a sense of community. “At night, we are the CEO at home. It’s like starting a night shift where you take care of the kids, manage the house and prepare for the next day. We have to stick together, because when we share and acknowledge what we are going through, we have a sense of belonging and also a sense of understanding that we are not alone.”