KCA University’s fifth Innovation Week and Industry Summit focuses on research, enterprise and manufacturing.
Industry leaders urged students to turn research into marketable products as KCA University and the EU pledged support for young innovators.
KCA Innovation Week opened at the university’s Ruaraka campus with calls for Africa to manufacture more finished products. Industry Principal Secretary Dr Juma Mukhwana and Bidco Africa Chairman Vimal Shah urged universities to help turn ideas into businesses.
The fifth Innovation Week and Industry Summit brought together government, business and academic leaders under the theme Learn! Lead! Transform! Meanwhile, EU Ambassador to Kenya Andreas Peschke and Vice Chancellor Prof Isaiah Wakindiki pledged stronger support for young innovators.
Manufacturing and customers take centre stage
Mukhwana, the chief guest, challenged Africa to move beyond exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. He cited cotton exports and clothing imports as an example of the gap.
Africa has 1.4 billion people, roughly 18 percent of the global population, he said. However, the continent accounts for only about 3 percent of worldwide manufacturing.
He therefore urged universities to convert research into commercial products and build closer ties with industry. He also challenged them to nurture entrepreneurs rather than focus only on preparing students for employment.
In his keynote address, Shah said Kenya already had plenty of ideas. The challenge, he argued, was turning those ideas into products, businesses and eventually industries.
However, he stressed that innovators must first establish whether customers will pay for their products. With Africa’s population expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, Shah said a growing market awaited producers.
KCA Innovation Week highlights research support
Wakindiki said the university had secured more than Sh40 million in research grants in recent years. It had also filed over 25 patent applications and supported eight startups.
Despite that progress, he said the university must connect research with users and support innovators beyond exhibitions. He also highlighted EU-funded partnerships, including the Elevate AI project.
The project aims to equip more than 1,000 faculty members and students in Kenya and Rwanda with artificial intelligence skills. Wakindiki described such partnerships as channels for sharing knowledge, not simply sources of funding.
EU backs entrepreneurship as students showcase ideas
Peschke noted that the summit coincided with 50 years of relations between Kenya and the European Union. He highlighted EU support for entrepreneurship, academic links and scientific cooperation.
He also cited the Africa Mobility Scheme among programmes intended to reduce barriers facing Kenyan youth. Peschke praised their entrepreneurial drive and pledged continued EU support.
Meanwhile, student exhibits included OmniSense, a remote equipment monitoring system, and biodegradable diapers. Other projects included Kessler Aegis, a space tracking platform, and Fortify AI, a business risk tool.
Wakindiki encouraged students to see themselves as potential creators of Kenya’s next major solution. The summit ends on Thursday.
