Innovation hubs in Kenya are strengthening their capacity to support young entrepreneurs and innovators through skills development, partnerships and incubation programmes under the United Nations Joint Programme.
The initiative spearheaded by the Youth for a Sustainable World (YSW), in collaboration with Nailab and with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), organised a Youth Innovation Hubs and Stakeholder Engagement Forum in Nairobi to strengthen linkages between innovation hubs and key players in the innovation and enterprise ecosystem.
The programme seeks to enhance the capacity building of innovation hubs to identify, nurture and support emerging innovators, particularly young people and women from marginalised communities, by providing technical support, mentorship and opportunities for collaboration.
According to Beatrice Wambui, Programs Coordinator at Empower and Serve Kenya (EmpServe Kenya), the initiative has equipped participating organisations with skills to strengthen their operations, build strategic partnerships to enhance their capacity to support young innovators.
Ms. Wambui described the platform as a valuable opportunity for institutional growth, knowledge exchange and engagement in areas requiring improvement within the innovation ecosystem.
The Programs Coordinator commended the stakeholders for rolling out the initiative, saying it had provided capacity-building sessions that enabled participating hubs to share experiences, discuss operational challenges and exchange ideas on improving their services.
“We are happy to be one of the innovation hubs selected to be part of the UN Joint Programme Cohort for this year,” she said.
She noted that one of the key benefits has been learning how to identify and approach potential partners, develop compelling programme proposals and strategically position the organisation for partnerships and collaborations.
“The training has really helped us understand how to curate and present ourselves and how to be strategic in identifying potential partners for our programmes,” she said.
Ms. Wambui said EmpServe Kenya was looking forward to the next phase of the programme, which will involve incubating innovators identified through the UN Joint Programme and referred to participating hubs for further development.
She noted that the arrangement would enable the organisation to expand its incubation services while offering emerging innovators an opportunity to develop and scale their ideas.
She added that participating in the selection of innovators under the programme had also given the organisation a broader understanding of Kenya’s innovation ecosystem and the emerging ideas being developed by young entrepreneurs.
Besides technical capacity building, she said the UN Joint Programme is also providing infrastructure support, including additional digital devices, which Wambui said would enable the organisation to expand its training capacity and accommodate more young people in its programmes.
Ms. Wambui said the Nairobi engagement was expected to strengthen linkages and networking, enabling innovators to connect with key stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem and explore opportunities for mentorship, partnerships and technical support.
“The opportunity to meet physically and engage with other participating innovation hubs one on one marks another important milestone in the programme. I see the interaction as an opportunity to explore collaborations; understand the different initiatives taking place across the ecosystem and identify ways to contribute to shared innovation goals,” she said.
The Nairobi forum, therefore, formed part of the four-year UN Joint Programme on Youth Skills, Employability and Civic Engagement, supported by the Government of Canada, which aims to improve access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly for young women and marginalised youth.
Ms. Wambui said EmpServe Kenya plays a critical role in society by addressing youth unemployment through digital skills development, entrepreneurship training, innovation, and enterprise incubation and acceleration, while equipping young people with skills and opportunities to become self-reliant.
She revealed that the organisation, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year, has operations in 10 counties, with a major focus on Nairobi and Kajiado counties.
Ms. Wambui said the organisation was also establishing an innovation eco-village in Kajiado County, which will be as a self-sustaining community facility for young people to acquire practical skills and apply them within their respective communities.
“Our vision is to establish a self-sustaining community facility where young people can come, acquire skills and replicate what they have learned in their own communities,” she said.
She added that the organisation was keen on ensuring that young people and women from marginalised communities benefit from innovation opportunities, particularly those living in informal settlements and rural areas.
“In Nairobi, we target young people from informal settlements, while in Kajiado and other counties, we are keen on reaching young people and women in rural communities,” she said.
Ms. Wambui observed that strengthening innovation hubs was an effective way of extending opportunities to underserved communities, as the organisations were better positioned to reach young people at the grassroots.
In the selection process, she revealed that participating innovation hubs were open and rigorous, involving an assessment of their operations and capacity to support young innovators.
Ms. Wambui explained for the EmpServe Kenya they were invited to showcase its programmes and activities during a site visit, after which the programme organisers conducted due diligence before confirming its inclusion in the cohort.
She said EmpServe Kenya is expanding its operations and is now preparing to host the South Eastern and Metropolitan Innovation Week from November 15 to 20, bringing together young innovators from Nairobi, Machakos, Kitui and Kajiado counties to showcase their innovations and engage with potential partners.
Through such engagements and collaborations with partners, Youth for a Sustainable World (YSW) continues to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to shape their futures and improve their socio-economic well-being.
by Ian Chepkuto
