CS ABABU NAMWAMBA LAUNCHES INNOVATION AGENCY 2023-2027 STRATEGIC PLAN
Hon. Ababu Namwamba – Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and
Sports on Thursday 22, 2024 launched the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
The strategic plan will be geared toward meeting KeNIA’s mission statement of
developing and managing a dynamic national innovation system that catalyzes jobs and
wealth creation.
KeNIA has within the last 3 years of its operational existence already rolled out various
programmes such as the Research to Commercialization Accelerator, offered Institutional
Support to Universities in commercializing their research outputs developed a digital
marketplace for innovators and investors, Kenya Innovation Week, Presidential Innovation
Award, the Kenya Network of Entrepreneurial Institutions Leaders, among others.
“I am happy to launch this important institutional document that has outlined key pillars,
including:
i. Commercialization Systems.
ii. Startup ecosystem.
iii. Institutional Capacity.
iv. Promotion and Awareness.
v. Policy, Legal, and Regulatory
Framework.”
Remarked the CS.
The new strategic plan outlines an ambitious plan for the agency that has set out the following
recommendations to strengthen the National Innovation Ecosystem:
1. KeNIA to create an inventory, and document innovations and start-ups at the
county and national levels and increase awareness of the services offered by
innova6on hubs to the public.
2. KeNIA to strengthen the capacity of innovators through training, provide
learning and growth linkages support the commercializa6on of innova6ons,
and facilitate access to funds for youth and other vulnerable groups.
3. KeNIA to spearhead the development of a framework to enhance
collabora6on among all en66es engaged in innova6on ac6vi6es to improve
service delivery to the Kenyan innovation ecosystem
4. KeNIA to map out the funding landscape for innova6on in Kenya: Not all
sectors attract funding. It is evident that sectors such as Artificial Intelligence,
Agriculture, Fintech, Energy, and E-commerce are the top four best-funded
sectors in Kenya, while sectors like health, housing, water, and sanita6on
attract less funding.
5. The Government through KeNIA will develop an information portal on funding
opportunities: There are potential sources of funding, which have not been
adequately exploited by Kenyan innovators such as the Youth Enterprise
Development
6. Intellectual Property Rights: KeNIA should support innovators in protecting
their innovations through intellectual property rights.
7. KeNIA should formulate recommenda6ons to foster an innova6on culture in
Kenya, specifically on how the Government can provide tax relief to
investors in innovation, akin to reliefs available to the sports industry.
8. KeNIA to spearhead the development of a framework to enhance
collabora6on among all en66es engaged in innova6on ac6vi6es to improve
service delivery to the Kenyan innovation ecosystem.
9. KeNIA to invest more in enhancing the appropriate skills for innova6on
development, commercializing innova6ons, and managing innova6on hubs.
Inves6ng in skills and talent will contribute to boos6ng Kenya’s innova6on
performance in future ranking.
While speaking during the launch, the CS affirmed that the Ministry of Youth Affairs,
Creative Economy set up youth centres across all the constituencies and directed KeNIA to
upgrade them into innovation hubs where innovation support programmes will be
implemented.
The CS also challenged KeNIA to leverage the 10-year Innovation Master
Plan, launched by H.E President William Ruto in 2023 to develop a coherent Innovation
Policy and Strategy to drive the ecosystem forward.
This strategic plan has aligned itself with the fourth Medium-Term Plan (MTP IV) of Kenya’s
vision 2030 that is aimed at creating jobs and enabling citizens to meet their basic needs,
The Kenya Kwanza Bottom-up economic model, sustainable development goals (SDGs),
among other national economic approaches in setting the momentum for economic
transition to the next long-term development agenda for the country.
The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) has been tasked with developing and
overseeing the Kenya National Innovation System. Therefore, the strategic plan is designed
to comprehensively align with the agency’s mandate.
through various strategies.