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Innovation and Collaboration Critical in Climate Action: Irish Tánaiste Visits KCIC

  • By KCIC Communications
  • July 18, 2024
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  • 909 Views
Ireland Deputy Prime Minister, Micheál Martin makes his remarks

“No country or region alone will have all the answers. We must collaborate, co-operate, and use our collective creativity to address the greatest challenge of our lifetime,” said the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Micheál Martin.

He spoke Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) where he addressed climate innovators who are beneficiaries of the ClimateLaunchpad (CLP) competition.

“All the businesses here today are building important foundations for change. They are the greatest evidence that solution-driven approach can provide the much-needed radical transformation in climate action,” he added.

His sentiments were echoed by KCIC CEO Joseph Murabula, who emphasized the critical role played by climate enterprises in combating climate change.

“We believe that the climate challenge can be addressed at the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship, which enables us to simultaneously achieve both climate action and economic growth. These enterprises are therefore our bridge to a greener future,” he asserted.

The Tánaiste interacted with a select seven enterprises that have grown through the ClimateLaunchpad competition, which has been implemented in Kenya by KCIC since 2017. The competition is the world’s largest green business ideas competition, and is focused on nurturing green innovation and entrepreneurship.

Norah Magero, founder of Drop Access, explains how the solution works.

“Vaccibox came about from my own personal experience as a mum, living in a rural community in Kenya, and  not being able to access vaccines for my child. And I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one. Many women had trouble getting heat-sensitive medical items at the time when they needed them…” narrates Norah Magero, founder of Drop Access and creater of the Vaccibox solution.

Vaccibox is an IoT-enabled, portable solar-powered fridge for  heat-sensitive medical supplies such as vaccines, ideal for rural and marginalized communities. The solution has benefited from business advisory and technical support from KCIC.

Globally, CLP is implemented by EIT Climate-KIC, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) through the support of Irish Aid. During his KCIC visit, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a further EUR1.5 Million worth of support to the competition in the year 2025.

In his remarks, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change, Eng. Festus Ng’eno, underscored Kenya’s priority areas in regard to climate action, emphasizing the need for concerted efforts in addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

“We are currently keen on the issue of carbon sinks-looking at our ecosystem restoration, and further incentives towards the adoption of renewable energy. We’re also actively accelerating the creation of more green jobs as we transition Kenya to a circular economy, which is why the enterprises here today are very instrumental,’ said Ng’eno.

CLP beneficiaries in a commemorative photo with the Deputy Prime Minister