Kenya Plans To Create A Start-ups Advisory Board

The Kenyan government through the ICT Ministry is thinking of setting up a Start-ups Advisory Board to aid the development of science parks and areas of innovation in the country.

The revelations were made by the ICT CS Joe Mucheru, who spoke at the annual International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) Africa Division Conference at Konza Technopolis said the board if established, will support the creation of start-ups.

Additionally, the CS stated that the government is keen on building a skills database to make it easier for organisations to connect with talent.

“I would like to appreciate the efforts on innovations that this conference has showcased. One thing I would like to recommend is that we need to have a Startup Advisory Board. The board that we have currently at Konza Technopolis aims at developing the infrastructure, but we need a board that can handhold our startups to develop them,” said the CS.

While Kenya is doing well when compared to African countries, there was still more to be done to address the challenges of funding, scaling, finding talent and the lack of supportive policy and legal framework.

According to The Global Innovative Index 2021, Kenya ranks number 85 out of the 132 countries listed. Mauritius was ranked the most innovative country in Africa at number 52 followed by South Africa (61) and Tunisia (71).