The ICT Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Katherine Getao has called for the use of ICT to transform the every sector of the economy and improve the lives of Kenyans.
Dr Getao said technology can be deployed to push the realization of the Big Four Agenda besides addressing the challenges facing the country such as corruption, poverty and unemployment among the youth.
Dr. Getao was addressing a Huduma WhiteBox Innovators’ Symposium that brought together founders of tech start up, innovators, the WhiteBox Council as well as partners.
The CEO urged innovators to create solutions that will stimulate prosperity in the country because we live in the right place and right time where millions of opportunities exist due to a problem –rich environment combined with the benefits of ICT.
In addition, the CEO said that innovation is critical for human survival as only innovation can help address the emerging challenges that threaten the lives and wellbeing of humans.
The Huduma WhiteBox project is a government initiative that will provide a one stop shop for innovators to receive technical support to scale their innovations, hence get a chance to sell directly to government.
Also present was Ms Mbithe Mwendwa of Konza Technopolis, Director Partnerships & Innnovation, Ms Eunice Kariuki, Tonya Nyakeya, Margaret Munga, Vincent Mureithi Mogambi and Eng William Maluki and other CEOs of private ICT Firms.
Currently, Huduma WhiteBox has received 122 innovations, which have already undergone first level innovations.
56 are complete and the remaining 66 are still incomplete.
On the evaluations by innovation stage, 25 of the innovations were at idea stage, 20 at incubation stage, 8 at growth stage and 4 at scale stage.
According to innovations by Big 4, innovations on Affordable Housing are 25, Affordable Healthcare 23, Food Security 17, Manufacturing 22 and under others categories were 33 innovations.
By LIlian Kimeto
