The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) has partnered with the Nakuru County government to promote innovations.
The collaboration aims to showcase innovative solutions that could be scaled up by attracting the right funding and partnerships through the Kenya Innovation Bridge platform.
The Kenya Innovation Bridge is a marketplace designed to connect innovators, inventors, researchers, and startups to potential funders, partners, customers, and users.
The platform seeks to enable as many innovations as possible to scale up and contribute to economic growth in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the Nakuru County government, trade representative, Ms Veronica Njiiri commended the efforts of the Agency and the UK Government in supporting the growth of young people’s innovative ideas.
She noted that the county government is committed to working with innovators to help them develop their solutions and achieve their full potential.
“Great ideas come from within us, and as the county government, we want to ensure that the youth can fully prosper through innovation,” said Ms Njiiri.
The Kenya Innovation Bridge is a project by the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and other partners, aiming to enhance the visibility of innovations and connect emerging and existing innovations in Kenya to a virtual marketplace.
The platform will link innovators to investment opportunities, partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives that could turn innovative ideas into commercially viable products and businesses.
According to George Masila, the Communications and Partnership Lead, KeNIA, with the support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports, and the Arts, is committed to ensuring that innovators from all regions of the country get exposure through the platform.
Mr Masila noted that KeNIA plans to hold regional launches in the Lake and Coastal regions in the coming weeks.