On 26th September 2025, a team from GrowthAfrica, commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Netherlands, visited the Kabarak University Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Outreach. The visit was part of the Digitalisation for Growth and Innovation (DGi) Programme, which focuses on understanding how Africa is navigating the twin digital and green transitions through entrepreneurship and innovation. The engagement aimed to gather insights from academic institutions and innovation hubs in Kenya that play a pivotal role in shaping and supporting entrepreneurship ecosystems.
During the discussions, the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Outreach highlighted its crucial role in supporting student and faculty innovators by providing incubation, mentorship, and entrepreneurial training, while bridging the gap between research outputs and market-ready solutions. The directorate also fosters a culture of innovation through programmes that leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data, alongside initiatives that promote sustainable practices in renewable energy, smart agriculture, and waste management.
The GrowthAfrica team engaged in both a roundtable discussion and a focus group discussion with representatives from the directorate, as well as student and faculty innovators. The focus group provided a platform for participants to share experiences in developing and scaling innovations within the university ecosystem. It also surfaced practical challenges faced by innovators, including limited access to financing, difficulties in intellectual property protection, and the need for stronger market linkages. At the same time, the discussions highlighted inspiring success stories of student-led projects that have integrated digital solutions to advance green practices, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, and health.
The conversations reinforced the central role of academic-driven innovation in Kenya’s ecosystem, demonstrating how universities act as catalysts for entrepreneurship and commercialization. They further underscored how student-led projects are increasingly blending digital tools with green innovations to address pressing societal challenges. Both the roundtable and focus group discussions acknowledged the importance of stronger linkages with external stakeholders—such as investors, industry players, development partners, and policymakers—to enable the scaling of promising innovations beyond the university environment.
The visit emphasized the immense potential of student and youth innovators in driving Kenya’s digital and green transitions, provided they are supported through enabling structures and networks. The insights obtained from the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Outreach will form part of the Kenya case study for the Digitalisation for Growth and Innovation Programme, contributing to a broader understanding of how ecosystem actors, including academia, are shaping the future of digital and green entrepreneurship in the country. GrowthAfrica will integrate these findings into its final report and ensure that the outcomes are shared with Kabarak University upon completion of the study.
Looking ahead, Kabarak University, through the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Outreach, will continue strengthening its role as a driver of academic-led innovation by expanding incubation and mentorship programmes, deepening the integration of digital technologies into green practices, and forging stronger collaborations with investors, development partners, and industry stakeholders. The university is particularly keen to establish a long-term partnership with GrowthAfrica and the Digitalisation for Growth and Innovation Programme to co-develop initiatives, share knowledge, and explore joint projects that promote digitalisation and green innovation. Such collaboration would create opportunities for resource mobilization, capacity building, and international linkages that position Kabarak University as a leading hub for academic-driven entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation.
