Nairobi County Digital Economy and Startups sub sector explores partnerships for Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024

Nairobi, 26th July, 2024

Nairobi County Chief Officer for Digital Economy and Startups, Sande Oyolo, held a meeting with the management team from Jamii Telecommunications Limited (JTL) led by Strategy Executive Director, Technology, Cyrus Sang. The discussion focused on exploring areas of synergy for the upcoming Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024.

Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024 is scheduled to take place from 21st to 23rd August at the University of Nairobi. This years' theme is "Innovation for All: Crafting a Tech-Driven Future of Boundless Opportunity."

Mr. Sande stated that the Innovate Nairobi Tech Week is an annual event under the Digital Economy and Startups sub-sector. This initiative aligns with the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2023-2027, which aims to build tech talent that supports an increased number of startups and bolsters the ecosystem. "Last year, we held the inaugural Innovate Week in South C, but this year, we are hosting it at the University of Nairobi. This institution of innovation, situated in the heart of the city, is an ideal venue and accommodates the student population," he said.

Mr. Sande highlighted that one of Nairobi County's major successes this financial year is recording the highest revenue collection, with a significant contributing factor being that the majority of county services are now accessible online. He added that the sub-sector seeks to achieve the vision of His Excellency Governor Sakaja Johnson of increasing digital literacy among Nairobians to boost the uptake of digital services in the city, thereby enhancing efficiency in public service delivery.

He also emphasized the sub-sector's efforts to ensure incubation hubs are available in all sub-counties to bring resources closer to the youth.

"We have been hosting monthly hackathons with our partners, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Africa's Talking Limited, where solutions are being developed for various problems. We have had three hackathons so far at the University of Nairobi, focusing on smart city security reporting and response solutions, water and sewage management solutions, and tourism and culture solutions. In the upcoming Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024, we will have hackathon competitions and startup competitions," Mr. Sande added.

Director for Digital Economy and Startups, Elizabeth Ndung'u, presented the achievements of Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2023 and expectations for this year's event.

Ms. Ndung'u said, "One of our mandates as Digital Economy Startups is to link investors and innovators together to address the problem of job creation in the county. This year's Innovate Week targets over 2,500 delegates, 75 startups entering exclusive deals, 50 event speakers, 60 ecosystem partners, including 20 international startups and 10 multinational partners."

She further outlined the objectives of Innovate Nairobi Week 2024, which include promoting entrepreneurship and the innovation ecosystem, driving technological advancement, enhancing global competitiveness, and stimulating economic growth.

Mr. Sang shared that JTL pledged to join Nairobi City County Government in making Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024 a success. "JTL is looking forward to partnering with the county during Innovate Nairobi Week, including supporting the incubation hubs as a way of giving back to society while building our brand. "Being a Kenyan telecommunications service provider, we pride ourselves on creating value in the tech ecosystem," he said.

Nairobi County Digital Economy and Startups sub sector and Jamii Telecommunications Limited agreed to pursue a long term working partnership through an MOU that will ensure devolving Wi-Fi and digital economy opportunities to the Nairobi City Sub counties and to devolve further to Ward levels in the next three years.

This year's Innovate Nairobi Tech Week 2024 will feature keynote addresses, exhibitors and demonstrations, networking events, thematic tracks panel discussions, hackathons and coding challenges, investor pitch sessions, startup showcases, and awards.

Present at the meeting were County Chief Officers for Smart Nairobi, Tiras Njoroge; ICT Infrastructure, John Lintari; Boroughs and Sub County Administration, Bernard Kiala; Social Sevices, George Mutiso, Director ICT, Office of the Governor, Gideon Thande; Innovation and Digital Economy Advisor to H.E the Governor, George Musyoka; Director ICT Infrastructure, Truphena Ogonda, Director Smart Nairobi, Dr. Eric Muhati, among other county officers.

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