•In the past decade, Kenya has made remarkable strides in ICT infrastructure, consequently cementing its status as one of the leading tech hubs in the region.
•The country last year received hosting rights for 2024 International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) world conference.
Image: PCS
Kenya has begun preparations for a global conference that will connect local startups with over 100,000 businesses across the world.
This is after the country last year received hosting rights for 2024 International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) world conference.
Konza Technopolis Development Authority says it is now hosting local and international partner organizations as part of initial preparatory activities for the upcoming global summit that is scheduled to take place from September 24th to 27th in Nairobi.
Speaking during the meeting in Nairobi, the Principal Secretary for ICT, Innovation and the Digital Economy John Tanui who also doubles up as President of the IASP Africa Division, said that the conference will cover the most pressing global needs of this decade.
“Africa’s Science, innovation ecosystem it still developing, but it urgently needs to mature to address the local challenges ensuring we are not further left behind in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution,” added Tanui.
The conference is expected to bring together experts from science and technology parks and other areas of innovation, technology-based incubators, academia, the public sector, and business to discuss and debate in depth on the latest trends in the industry’s increasingly complex structures for professional innovation support.
IASP is a global network of science parks, innovation districts and other areas of innovation, boasting members in more than 70 countries worldwide.
In the past decade, Kenya has made remarkable strides in ICT infrastructure, consequently cementing its status as one of the leading tech hubs in the region.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that the growing reliance on digital technologies and the internet has driven up the value of ICT consumption in the country to a high of Sh608.1 billion in 2022.
In general, the sector recorded a growth of 9.9 percent in 2022 according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey 2023. This underpins the impact of tech and innovation to Kenya’s economy.
Based on various awards, covering areas such as fintech, and the amount of funds pumped to tech startups in the country, Kenya is increasingly gaining recognition as an innovation hub.
Early in the week Kenya was ranked the leading recipient of funding channeled to start ups beating countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt.
“We will now focus our dialogue with our various partners on collaboration opportunities that are expected to arise in the lead up to and during the conference,” explained Eng. Tanui.
Konza Technopolis Development Authority Chairman Raphael Munavu added that the upcoming meeting is an excellent opportunity for Kenya and Africa in general, to connect to the ecosystem of over 100,000 innovative companies from all over the world and in line with the ambitions of Africa’s agenda 2063.
“As we bring the world to Kenya. We also have an opportunity to showcase our efforts in advancing Research Science, innovation and development by hosting technical visits,” said Munavu.