The Kenya Innovation Agency (KeNIA), unveiled its Strategic Plan for the 2023-2027 period tailored to develop and create jobs and wealth through innovation.
KeNIA Chairman, Prof. Tom Peter Migun Ogada, highlighted the five-year plan by walking through the rationale, process developed through key pillars towards the realization of the dream.
He said KeNIA worked on the Plan for the last two years and was keen to ensure the building of successes and a positive impact on the Kenyan Innovation Ecosystem once the programme was rolled out.
The Chairman added that in this 2nd strategic plan, they are building strongly on the successes delivered by the 1st strategic plan 2018-2022 which ended in 2022 and provided one of the key justifications to work on a new strategic plan.
He at the same time lauded the current government for putting an effort on innovation and using it to create jobs for the youth in the country.
At the regional level, Ogada stated that KeNIA has also aligned the Strategic Plan to the East African Regional Innovation and Technology Transfer Strategy that is currently being finalized and has put a lot of emphasis on issues to do with technology transfer and more importantly how the region can be able to tap on the innovativeness of its citizens to drive economic growth in the region.
“We have also aligned the Strategic Plan to the Science Technology Innovation Strategic for Africa (STISA) 2024, the First Edition that is just coming to an end this year and more importantly, the second edition STISA 2034, that is in the next 10-year plan,” added Ogada.
He reiterated that KeNIA is involved in this Strategic Plan which has put a lot of emphasis on Innovation Technology Transfer and Commercialization of rational and process activities.
Further, the Chairman observed that the strategy also aligns to the African Union Agenda (AUA) 2063, revealing that the second decade for the Agenda 2063 has been finalized for 2023 -2033.
“The AUA has been given a role of Science Technology Innovation to drive the economic agenda of the continent that has been ably articulated,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, Ogada disclosed that KeNIA launched its process in cooperation with the second strategic plan in October 2022 which was led by the secret committee of the board.
He noted that during the launch, KeNIA had revealed the successes and gaps in the implementation of the first strategic plan where the board also came up with strategies for how to address the gaps that may have been identified
“We have had a very intensive consultation with stakeholders and they are delighted for actively participating in the process and gave ideas on what the next strategic plan should be able to include,” expressed Ogada.
Ogada added that the presidential innovation channels under the word system were already developed and operationalized during the launch.
He insisted that KeNIA has retained the vision and mission that was articulated in the first strategic plan portraying the Agency as a key enabler of socio-economic development in Kenya through the utilization of innovation as was articulated in the Science Technology and Innovation Act 2013 and development and manage a dynamic national innovation system that catalyzes job and wealth creation in the country respectively.
Ogada also vowed that KeNIA will strengthen the commercialization system, particularly in Universities, Research organizations, and TVETS through the design of a national framework for the establishment and running of technology transfer offices.
In addition, the Chair further reiterated that the KeNIA will ensure its start-up Ecosystem is up and running and also create a big difference to the country and beyond, the two pillars he said will strengthen the institutional capacity of the organization.
He directed that KeNIA should develop forums that will facilitate academia and the private sector to catalyze a half-take of commercialization effort the Chair said.
According to Ogada, KeNIA will Promote and create awareness about the importance of innovation and how innovation will be used to drive economic and social development in Kenya.
He called upon the people to partner together as they actively participate in the implementation of KeNIA’s newly launched Strategic Plan that will help to make a big difference in the Kenyan innovation ecosystem.
By Sharon Atieno and Peace Maziga
