UAE to establish innovation and entrepreneurship centre in Kenya

President Uhuru Kenyatta has welcomed an announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish an innovation and entrepreneurship centre in Kenya.

The announcement is part of the outcomes of the President’s bilateral talks with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Following the talks held during President Kenyatta’s working visit to the UAE, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces has directed the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development to establish an innovation and entrepreneurship centre in Kenya.

“Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development has announced its plan to establish an innovation and entrepreneurship centre in the Republic of Kenya,” a news release by the official Emirates News Agency indicated.

The innovation and entrepreneurship centre will focus on launching programmes, workshops and initiatives geared towards providing aspiring and established Kenyan entrepreneurs with guidance on how they can inject innovation into their entrepreneurial endeavours to boost the national economy.

According to the Khalifa Fund and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development Chairman Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to establish a centre for innovation and tech-focused entrepreneurship in Kenya comes as part of the UAE’s ongoing commitment to contribute towards empowering talented innovators and entrepreneurs around the world.

“With centres such as these, we provide entrepreneurs with resources, support and guidance to contribute to their local and global economy, bringing about positive economic implications and security,” Al Hammadi said.

He added: “This collaboration between the UAE and Kenya will see the two respective nations implement Khalifa Fund’s successful model to the new innovation and entrepreneurialism centre with the aim of reflecting the same levels of achievement in Kenya as has been experienced in the UAE.”

Al Hammadi said the Khalifa Fund, which was recently recognised as the best in the world by the Global Monitoring Index, is committed to enhancing and elevating Kenya in a similar fashion to assist in creating job opportunities for Kenyans.