KIRDI To Partner with KONZA To Support MSMEs Businesses
The Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) will partner with Konza Technopolis to support micro, small and medium enterprises to scale up their operations.
“We will collaborate with Konza Technopolis to support MSMEs to scale their operation by providing a platform through innovation, incubation, testing and training,” KIRDI Director General, Dr. Eng Calvin Onyango, said.
Konza Technopolis, is a key flagship project of Kenya’s Vision 2030 economic development blue print that aims to transform Kenya into a middle-income country with higher standards of living for Kenyans. The Silicon Savannah, which sits on 5,000 acres has various bands for investment which include education, light manufacturing, residential, commercial mixed development, science park, health among others.
“We have agreed on areas of collaboration with KIRDI and we will provide our ecosystem to MSMEs whereby we hope to support them to scale up their operations,” Konza Technopolis CEO John Paul Okwiri said.
KIRDI is mandated to undertake research, development and innovation in industrial and allied technologies and disseminate research findings to support industrial development. It covers Civil engineering, Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering, Chemical engineering, Textile technology, Industrial chemistry, Food technology, Ceramics and clay technology, Power resources, Mining technology, Natural products technology, Leather technology, emerging technologies and Building materials technology.
“One of our mandates is to collaborate with other institutions to advance technology, innovations and development of industrial research training programmes. Our partnership with Konza Technopolis will be based on this collaboration,” Onyango.