Back novel bright ideas, urges President Kenyatta
President Uhuru Kenyatta (centre) tours the Strathmore University Student Centre and i-Lab in Nairobi on June 9, 2015. When you begin your business journey, you start seeing hundreds of things that could go wrong. There is you and there is the firm. To succeed, stay motivated and maintain the right attitude. PHOTO | PSCU | NATION MEDIA GROUP.
What you need to know:
- President says many novel ideas die just as fast as they are conceived because the structures that support their development are not there.
- The President was speaking during the official launch of the Kenyan chapter of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2015 at Strathmore Business School.
The government has failed to support youth entrepreneurs and innovators, and should learn from the private sector, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.
The President said on Tuesday that many novel ideas die just as fast as they are conceived because the structures that support their development are not there.
“Kenyan ingenuity has never been lent the support it deserves. We have not always been good at supporting innovators and entrepreneurs in this country and this needs to change,” he said.
He added that although great strides have been made towards changing this reality, a lot more still needs to be done.
“We are currently coming up with better intellectual property regimes. Business registration is faster and cheaper than ever. But this is not enough. A Kenyan should be able to register a business by simply showing up with his national identity card,” he said.
YOUNG INNOVATORS
The President was speaking during the official launch of the Kenyan chapter of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2015 at Strathmore Business School.
The main event, which will be co-hosted by Kenya and the US, will be held on July 25-26 and will also mark US President Barack Obama’s first visit to Kenya as the US head of state.
Tuesday’s event specifically focused on the various ways of promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among the youth.
President Kenyatta echoed President Obama’s recent call for the private sector to increase its support for local young innovators.
“I would like to ask the same of our private sector, especially those who have been in the market for some time now. Share your experience, skill and capital with our young innovators,” he said.
Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru praised the youth for driving the ICT innovation and urged other sectors to learn from them.
