The Kenyan government is considering creating a startup advisory board to support the continued acceleration of startups in the country.
This was revealed by Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs Joe Mucheru during the second day of the annual International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) Africa Division Conference at Konza Technopolis.
IASP is an umbrella organization that brings together individuals and organizations that use science, technology, and research to drive entrepreneurship within communities. Created in 1984, IASP has 350 members and more than 115,000 companies from around the world.
The two-day hybrid conference carried the theme, “Science Technology Parks & Areas of Innovations as Catalysts for Sustainable Growth in Africa.” During the event, CS Mucheru noted that startups can better be supported and represented by a specially focused entity.
“I would like to appreciate the efforts on innovations that this conference has showcased. One thing I would like to recommend is that we need to have a Startup Advisory Board. The board that we have currently at Konza Technopolis aims at developing the infrastructure, but we need a board that can handhold our startups to develop them”
Mucheru said that building a robust startup ecosystem needs a mutli-dimensional approach.
“I was very pleased to see the demonstrations that were put forward by the innovators. We need to find ways of investing in these startups and this Board will make sure that we have the right industry players to come and engage with the young startups”
The CS reiterated the government’s commitment to work with partners in developing a skills database in the country. He said that the database would come in hand in identifying skills gaps and bridging the gaps.
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