About KIW

Kenya Innovation Week

Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) is a flagship innovation forum for the country run by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports through the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA). It seeks to convene key stakeholders to assess, celebrate and energize the progress of the National Innovation Ecosystem under which the national priorities of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and Vision 2030 are advanced. A vibrant National Innovation Ecosystem provides a supportive environment for generating jobs and creating wealth, as well as improving the global competitiveness of Kenyan knowledge economy. Further KIW serves as a platform for showcasing cutting edge innovations in the country

KIW Road Map

2021

KIW Inaugural

In 2021, the inaugural KIW laid the foundation of an annual flagship innovation forum that will grow into an international high impact forum

2022

Second Edition

In 2022, the second edition of KIW builds upon the foundation set by the inaugural KIW and creates a platform for knowledge transfer across the globe.

2023

CommonWealth Edition

In 2023, the Government of Kenya in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat co-hosted the Commonwealth Edition of KIW

Africa Edition

Kenya’s thriving Innovation Ecosystem Plays a significant role in achieving the ambitious goals of the African Union Agenda 63 of cohesiveness and collective prosperity for the African people. In light of this, the Kenya Innovation Week – Africa Edition will embrace a Pan-African perspective and will lead impactful discussions on enhancing the innovation ecosystems for the advancement of Africa. It will feature solution-driven discussions and networking opportunities, will spark innovative approaches to tackle Africa’s urgent challenges for socio-economic growth to improve the quality of life for Africans. The KIW 2024 – Africa Edition will inspire and engage young people who are naturally energetic, brimming with ideas and looking to contribute towards socio-economic development to come up with innovations that will propel Africa to the next economic frontier.

Objective 1

Celebrate the thriving innovation and startup ecosystem

Objective 2

Showcase emerging and leading innovations

Objective 3

Expose the delegates to futuristic skills and tools for innovation

Objective 4

Accelerate commercialization of research outputs and ideas

Objective 5

Increase awareness of innovation opportunities in regional markets

Key Engagement Points

Youth Unemployment

Kenya is currently experiencing high levels of unemployment, with majority of the youth being either under-employed or unemployed. According to the Kenya Institute for Public Policy and Research; approximately 500,000 to 800,000 youth enter the job market each year. However, the economy has been unable to provide sufficient employment opportunities

Kenya Innovativeness Gap

According to the Global Innovation Index 2023 by World Intellectual Property Organization, Kenya is ranked 100th among the 132 world economies and 8th among the 28 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although Kenya is in the top ten regionally, there is a need to improve on its global innovation performance.

Innovation Fund Gap

Access to capital continues to be a major challenge to the growth and sustainability of innovations in the national innovation ecosystem. According to the Kenya 10-year Innovation Master Plan there is about a USD19.3 billion formal MSME finance gap in Kenya