PICTURES: Innovators Showcase Projects at Kenya Innovation Week

No photo availableBySteve Mbego
3 min read
Kenya Innovation Week has been organised by Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) as part of its efforts to build synergies and collaborations in the innovation system.
Kenya Innovation Week
Bonface Keya, a Science Club Patron at St Thomas Girls Secondary School how to use a home-made respirator. The respirator can also act as an air cleaner [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima]

A four-day series of exhibitions, panel discussions and summits titled Kenya Innovation Week is currently on its third day at the Kenya School of Government.

The initiative, which runs from 6th-10th December has been organised by Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) as part of its efforts to build synergies and collaborations in the innovation system. It offers opportunities for start-ups, corporates, universities, and government agencies to showcase their innovations by exhibiting.

Overall, the multi-sectoral discussions have centred on how to develop skills and talents, how to promote modern intangible technology such as virtual reality, and how to strengthen best practices and systems for good research and commercialization. In the Kenya Startup Summit, the most promising startups get the opportunity to interact with investors and funders.

Kenya Innovation Week
R-L CIO Africa CEO Harry Hare (Moderator) takes questions from the audience during a panel discussion titled Commercialisation of Innovations: Why, What and How, as Professor David Tuigong (CEO-KIRDI) and Dr Win Karugu, Managing Director JKUATES look on [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima].
Government officials got the opportunity to interact with other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem to discuss the current state, opportunities and challenges.

While Kenya is doing well regionally when it comes to innovation, it was noted that there was still more to be done to address challenges of funding, scaling, finding talent and the lack of supportive policy and legal framework.

“The ultimate measure of the success of the innovation ecosystem is by the growth and survival of start-ups in Kenya. We should measure our success with the number of unicorns we generate,” Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Education Joe Mucheru said while addressing delegates, innovators, and investors.

KeNIA CEO Dr Tonny Omwansa while demonstrating the importance of Innovation Week stated that the innovation showpiece is not an event but a movement. He appealed to the various stakeholders to join the movement and impact the Kenyan ecosystem.

The innovators displayed different solutions targeting the agriculture, health, manufacturing, and transportation sectors. Below are some of the innovations being displayed at the event.

Chief Instructor at Astrial Aerial Felix Maina demonstrates how security and mapping works at the Kenya Innovation Week [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima]
Kenya Innovation Week
Bonface Keya, a Science Club Patron at St Thomas Girls Secondary School how to use a portable homemade respirator. The respirator can also act as an air cleaner [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima]
Kenya Innovation Week
L-R Meru Technical Training Institute Mark Murangiri (Student), John Paul Galabuzi (Trainer) and Francis Gachoki (Student) with their industrial robotic carrier prototype [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima]
Kenya Innovation Week
Kelvin Kamau, a staff at Drone Space explains to CIO Africa Writer Steve Mbego techniques of Drone flying. The Company trains individuals how to fly drones [Photo: Arthur Kuwashima]
L-R Naiparq Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Richard Otolo and Co-founder and Head of Sales and Marketing Joan Yieke showcasing their product, Naiparq, an app that seeks to solve the traffic problem in Nairobi City [Photo, Steve Mbego]

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