Kenya (Commonwealth Union)_ The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, has promised the support of the Commonwealth in enabling Kenya achieve its ambitious innovation objectives. The Secretary-General made her opening speech at the Nairobi conference for the second Kenyan Innovation Week. The summit highlighted the efforts to change Kenya’s innovation landscape.
At the ceremony, the Secretary-General lauded Kenyan innovation. “I am delighted to see Kenya’s National Innovation Agency going from strength to strength. Your work is critical to building the foundations of the trailblazing ‘innovation nation’ which we all know Kenya can be,” she said. According to Scotland, history demonstrates that nations with the capacity and goal to innovate smartly are best positioned to achieve equitable, inclusive and sustainable growth and development. She added that innovation is the way by which Kenya and the whole Commonwealth can achieve the desired outcome for more prosperous, more equitable, and more resilient societies.
“There is an exciting, important, impactful journey ahead for all of you, for Kenya and for Africa – and I promise you that I, and the entire Commonwealth, will be by your side as your partner and friend as you drive progress towards a better, fairer, more secure, more resilient, and more prosperous future for all,” the Secretary-General added. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the world transition towards digitization. This gives not only potential for employment and commerce, but also obstacles owing to the digital divide and lack of infrastructure across the Commonwealth.
Accordingly, the Commonwealth Secretariat is actively striving to assist member nations, such as Kenya, in achieving their innovation goals in order to realize more inclusive, innovative, and globally linked economies that are capable of reacting to and capitalizing on global problems and opportunities. In response to an invitation from H.E. Hon. President William Ruto PhD, C.G.H., the Secretary-General delivered her address at the conference.
The day before the conference, the Secretary-General paid a courtesy call to President Ruto, during which they discussed Kenya’s ambitious goals for innovation; sectors where the Commonwealth can contribute expertise and assistance; and how data and exchange of knowledge will be the foundation of the kind of innovation that is crucial to the advancement of the Commonwealth-family. During her address at the conference, the Secretary-General also highlighted the significance of enhancing the skills of young people, which is a talented asset for innovation, in order to assist them in entering a job market that is fully digitized, thereby battling unemployment.
