Kenya’s Konza Technopolis, an emerging centre for innovation, has been chosen to host a global event.
Members of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) overwhelmingly voted for the Nairobi tech hub to be the venue for their annual high-level conference scheduled to take place in 2024.
The decision, disclosed on IASP’s social media platforms, has been welcomed by players in Kenya’s tech scene, noting that this is a massive opportunity for the country to showcase its Silicon Savannah exploits.
“It’s the news we’ve been waiting for. IASP members have voted and we are delighted to announce that in 2024 we will meet in beautiful Nairobi, Kenya hosted by our colleagues at Konza,” IASP said in a tweet.
Konza is one of the flagship projects geared at achieving Kenya’s vision 2030 economic blueprint, that seeks to catapult the country into a middle income status.
Konza Chief Executive Engineer John Tanui said the move by IASP members underlines the important role the tech hub is playing in Africa and global innovation.
“We are elated by the news of winning the bid to host the 2024 World Conference of International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation. We thank members for the confidence in Kenya,” said Eng. Tanui.
IASP is a global network of science parks, innovation districts and other areas of innovation, with members spanning more than 70 countries worldwide.
Kenya is considered a tech powerhouse on the continent thanks mainly to its tech-savvy population.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that value addition in the ICT sector stood at Sh294 billion in 2021, signifying a 30 percent rise from Sh223 billion in 2017.
The Kenya National Digital Master plan 2022-32 plans to spend Sh585 billion in the sector over the next 10 years.