The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) today hosted a delegation from the Commonwealth and KeNIA, marking a significant milestone in fostering strategic partnerships and collaboration for sustainable development. The meeting, held at the KCIC offices in Nairobi, provided a platform for productive discussions on the impact of KCIC’s programs, particularly the Agribiz and GreenBiz Initiative, while exploring potential areas of synergy between the organizations.

Led by Joshua Setipa, the Senior Director of Strategy Portfolio Partnerships and Digital Division of the Commonwealth, and Agnes Tsuma, the Manager of Innovation Commercialization at KeNIA, the four-member delegation  was received by Felix Magaju, the Director of Client Services at KCIC, with discussions revolving around promoting sustainability and identifying ways to regenerate revenue streams, thereby reducing donor overdependence. The discussions also focused on replicating successful funding models from Kenya and exploring additional avenues for financial support.

One of the key collaboration opportunities discussed was mobilizing climate finance by leveraging the resources of the Commonwealth. Joshua Setipa expressed his commitment to facilitating further discussions and utilizing the Commonwealth’s extensive network to support KCIC’s agenda.

“The aim is to address gaps in KCIC’s initiatives, enhance support within the ecosystem, and ensure sustainable growth,” he noted.

Policy reforms emerged as a crucial aspect of the conversation, with a shared vision of creating an enabling environment for entities like KCIC to thrive. The Commonwealth pledged to initiate policy frameworks that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, to bolster the impact of KCIC’s programs.

At the same, technology transfer was identified as a key pillar for driving innovation. The adoption and scaling up of various technologies to effectively address climate change challenges was touted as a critical pathway to sustainability. By leveraging technology and knowledge exchange, KCIC, KeNIA, and the Commonwealth aim to accelerate the implementation of sustainable solutions and promote technological advancements in the sector.

“This collaboration holds immense potential in shaping a conducive ecosystem for climate innovation and green entrepreneurship in Kenya. A combination of KCIC, Commonwealth and KeNIA presents a cocktail of superlatives, and there’s no limit to what we can achieve together. As KCIC, we remain open and ready to its actualization, building upon our lived experience spanning over a decade with enterprises in the climate space,” said KCIC’s Felix Magaju.

The event also provided an opportunity for the delegation to directly interact with two enterprises supported by KCIC, who showcased their innovative products at the exhibition. TotoSci Holding Limited, the only startup in Africa that locally manufactures mobile phone USB chargers using recycled HDPE and PVC plastics, and Irri Hub Kenya, an agricultural company providing climate-smart irrigation technologies with a focus on smallholder farmers.

Also present at the meeting was Anita Collins, Project Officer Strategy Portfolio Partnerships and Digital Division of the Commonwealth, Phyllis Mbiyu, Communications representative of KeNIA, Stephen Musyoka, Monitoring and Evaluation Lead (KCIC), and Benjamin Mwanza, the Program Manager for GreenBiz.