Ajira Digital Program through the implementing partners, Kenya Private Sector Alliance and eMobilis participated in the Zetech University Research and Innovations Week which officially opened its doors on 24^th October 2022.

Dr. Ehud Gachugu, Director of Ajira Digital and Youth Employment at KEPSA was among the panelists discussing the theme of the event - Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship for Social Economic Development in the 21^st Century – which was guided by the Big Four Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

Here are some key highlights of issues discussed during the engaging session that was moderated by Sharon Momanyi (news anchor at Standard Media Group):

“Jobs are very few and not sufficient to support the young people joining the labour market, hence a challenge to sustainability. The good news is that these young people are well-connected to the happenings in the world and view things differently; a good breeding ground for creativity and innovations. The digital economy is a major enabler of sustainable innovations which innovators, start-ups, young people and the society at large should leverage on.” – Dr. Ehud Gachugu.

“I realized that younger generations do not appreciate healthy foods such as millet and sorghum. I, therefore, thought of transforming these healthy cereals into trendy, fashionable, and edible products that will attract more markets. By making them fashionable we are encouraging the growth of such healthy foods at the same time-fighting food insecurities.” - Dorah Momanyi – Founder IPoP Africa – a nutritious agriculture network.

“With countries like Israel and Singapore being very developed compared to our very own country, one is left to question what are we not doing. Our problem could be probably insufficient basic innovation and reading what is not relevant. We need to be enthusiastic about innovation as it is a sure way to growth. Afterward, we need to buy our own innovation and products.” – Prof. Dr. Njenga Munene, Vice Chancellor at Zetech University.

“A Chinese proverb says that when the winds of change blow, some build walls, and others build windmills. Youth are not looking for handouts but for support and encouragement. Our survival as a county is dependent on how we can support these youth on sustainable innovations and work opportunities to improve their livelihoods.” – Eric Kiriko, Kiambu County Executive Member, Youth Affairs, Sports, ICT and Communication

It was concluded that there is a need to create such platforms to encourage and celebrate young people’s creativity and ideas as well as inculcate the spirit of experimentation to grow new ideas for sustainable development.

#ResearchConference2022 and #InventYourFuture #AjiraPromotingSustainability