KeNIA launches push to lift Kenya’s innovation ranking

The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) has launched a coordinated national effort to improve the country’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII).

The move positions innovation as a central pillar in Kenya’s bid to transition into a first-world economy.

During a meeting on Thursday, KeNIA convened senior government officials, state corporation CEOs and innovation stakeholders to review Kenya’s performance and chart a strategy for advancing the country’s innovation ecosystem.

The meeting operationalizes a Cabinet decision directing the harmonization of national innovation data, performance tracking and inter-agency coordination.

A major highlight of the meeting was the inauguration of the Global Innovation Index Steering Committee, a multi-agency body tasked with providing strategic oversight and aligning Kenya’s innovation outputs with international benchmarks.

Deputy Chief of Staff Josphat Nanok underscored the importance of coordination and data-driven decision-making in raising Kenya’s innovation standing.

“Kenya can transform its ideas into scalable solutions that compete on the first-world stage by strengthening coordination across government, academia, and industry, and by leveraging robust data for policy and investment decisions,” he said.

“Data is a strategic asset, and our collective efforts will determine how Kenyan innovations shape not just our economy, but Africa’s future in the global knowledge economy.”

Principal Secretary for Science, Research and Innovation Abdulrazak emphasized the need to match Kenya’s talent with supportive systems, arguing that innovation must be backed by deliberate investment and regulatory support.

“Kenya has the talent and the ideas to drive Africa’s transformation. Our responsibility is to create the systems that allow this potential to scale,” he said.

KeNIA CEO Tonny Omwansa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to translating research into globally competitive enterprises and strengthening Kenya’s visibility in international innovation rankings.

He said the agency will deepen coordination across actors to ensure measurable improvements in GII indicators.

Priority areas identified for accelerated performance include human capital and research, digital economy infrastructure, and knowledge and creative outputs, with intensified focus on tertiary enrolment and STEM skills, ICT usage and government digital services, patents and utility models, and software and mobile applications.

Kenya is seeking to position the GII not merely as a ranking instrument, but as a strategic tool for investment attraction, economic transformation and global competitiveness, with Singapore cited as an exemplar among innovation-led economies.