The Kenya National Innovation Agency has called for partnerships with the private sector to accelerate start-up ecosystems.
KeNIA CEO Tony Omwansa said the partnerships will go a long way in enhancing Kenya’s national innovation environment.
“We are seeking more partnerships and collaborations to increase innovation and create more job opportunities for the youth,” Omwansa said.
He spoke on Monday during a meeting which offered stakeholders in government, private and international institutions an opportunity to understand how they can be involved in different projects and collaborate towards a more innovative Kenya.
Partners already involved include Britam, which runs BetaLab, a corporate accelerator innovation programme that runs for 36 months with an aim to birth start-ups from existing innovations.
Others are Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), British Council, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, African Development Bank and KonZa Metropolis.
During the meeting, KeNIA unpacked Kenya’s 10-year innovation masterplan's pillars and presented opportunities for collaboration.
The agency announced several initiatives including Kenya Innovation Week 2024, Entrepreneurial Institutions Leaders’ Summit scheduled for August 29 to 30, 2024 to help in capacity building, introduction of new courses at KeNIA Innovation Academy and National Innovation Ecosystem set for November 25 to 29, 2024.
Thika Town MP, Alice Ng’ang’a, the chair of Committee on Social Protection at the National Assembly, said innovation is at the heart of national development.
She announced her support for the Kenya Innovation Week, an annual event by KeNIA that brings stakeholders to showcase and celebrate the progress of the national innovation ecosystem.
Ng’ang’a noted that KeNIA’s 10-year innovation masterplan is designed to harness the power of innovation across all sectors of the economy.
KeNIA is a state corporation established under the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Act, No. 28 of 2013 under the Ministry of Education.
It's core mandate is to develop and manage the National Innovation System.
