Government of Kenya partners with the Commonwealth Secretariat to co-host Kenya Innovation Week 2023
The Kenya National Innovation Agency has today unveiled the roadmap for the Kenya Innovation Week- Commonwealth Edition at the Sarova Panafric Hotel. The unveiling marks the start of activities building up to the event set to take place from the 27th November to the 1st of December 2023 at the Kenya College of Insurance.
The roadmap outlines the goals, diverse summits that will take place, and the expected outcomes of this year’s event. We have carefully curated a series of thematic summits and side events that will bring together experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to foster collaboration, exchange ideas, and explore innovative solutions to our pressing challenges.
The launch, co sponsored by the Commonwealth secretariat and the British Council brought together key stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem with an intention to celebrate the accomplishments from the previous Kenya Innovation week as well as to share about the opportunities that the Kenya Innovation Week –Commonwealth Edition presents. Present were ambassadors from Commonwealth nations, senior government representatives, innovators, academia, and private sector.
In his remarks, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Rt. Hon Musalia Mudavadi, acknowledged the strides made by the Agency in promoting development and uptake of innovation. He called on other Governments, organisations, institutions, and individuals who share the vision and passion for innovation to join hands with the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) to become active contributors to the remarkable event.
Ahead of the innovation week, the Commonwealth Secretariat will run the Commonwealth Innovation challenge. The Kenya Government will also run the Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award, which will culminate at the Jamhuri Day Celebration on the 12th of December.
Partners will host side-events that run parallel to the main program, adding further depth and diversity to discussions.
Below are planned forums and side events that will take place during the Kenya Innovation Week 2023 – Commonwealth Edition:
1. “Youth and Entrepreneurship Summit” that will focus on issues of youth and entrepreneurship within the entire commonwealth.
2. “Climate Action Summit” to give attention to our collective concern of the climate change.
3. “Skills and Talent Summit” that will advance the need to build skills for innovation within society, from national leadership all the way to elementary school.
4. “Commercialization Summit” will focus on policies and practices for creating commercial value from research outputs in Universities, Research Centres and other related organizations.
5. “Commonwealth Angel Investment Masterclass” that will focus on building skills and networks for angel investment in startups within the Commonwealth family
6. “Digital Transformation and Public Sector Innovation Summit”: As a government, we have prioritized digital transformation. We look to share our experiences and learn from other Governments from the Commonwealth Family on the pathways to paperless government and ecosystems.
7. “Entrepreneurial Institutions Masterclass”: This will be a session for leaders of universities keen on strengthening
8. “Agri-Tech and Fin-Tech Summits” that will give insights to innovative solutions being created to address challenges and tap into opportunities within these sectors.
9. “Commonwealth Start-up Festival” that would be our climax forum where startups from the entire commonwealth family will pitch to investors to attract partners, funders and customer. Startups pitching will compete for prices and recognition. From each of the verticals mentioned above, we hope to have startups that are tackling challenges in each of them that would then climax at the Commonwealth startup festival.
In addition to these thematic summits, the following special programs and projects will be launched during the Innovation Week:
1. Commonwealth Data Science Partnership
2. Commonwealth Innovation Ecosystem Advisory Council
3. Kenya’s 10-year Innovation Master Plan
4. African Development Bank (AfDB) Innovation Fund
Throughout the week, there will be pavilions for each of the 56 countries, where the best of innovations from each country, as well as partners and organizations will be showcased.
Additionally, the Kenya Network of Entrepreneurial Institutions’ Leaders, known as KNEIL, was also unveiled. The programme is implemented in collaboration with the British Council. This network will serve as a platform for leaders from Universities, Colleges and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs) Centres across Kenya to connect, share best practices, and collaborate in fostering a vibrant national entrepreneurial ecosystem. The initiative will play a pivotal role in commercializing research outputs to create jobs, solve our societal challenges and put PESA MFUKONI.
Post Author
