Deputy President Kithure Kindiki Friday called for enhanced adoption of technology in all sectors of the economy to speed up the transformation of African countries.
Prof. Kindiki said partnership between the public and private sector will catapult the quest for a better Africa through technological advancement focused on bettering the lives of its people.
“The next 40 years will not be entirely defined by globalization because that happened 40 years ago. It is now behind us. The coming years will be defined by drivers including focus on people-centred transformation, investment in technology and public-private partnerships,” DP stated.
He spoke on Friday when he addressed the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative (AGII) Forum in Nairobi.
“We must adopt technologies that help us find solutions to today’s challenges and create a more sustainable world. Technological advancement must be realized across the board including in the energy sector,” he added.
The Deputy President said Africa lags behind in transition to cleaner and renewable energy despite huge capacity to generate it, indicating that the continent’s renewable energy capacity stands at 56 gigawatts today, a far cry from the targeted 300 gigawatts needed to power industrial and manufacturing sectors.
To ensure this is realized, DP noted, African governments must work with the private sector to fully harness the potential of the key sectors, including energy and technology among others.
“Public sector driven reforms alone are not going to be tenable in the future. We must work together with the private sector to transform the world. We must tap into the private sector’s ideas and capital in a bid to blend effort to push the world forward,” he emphasized.
Prof. Kindiki said Kenya is leading the way with 93 percent of its electricity generation coming from renewable sources including geothermal, wind, hydro, and solar.
“This places Kenya among the world’s leaders in clean energy. For investors seeking to build low-carbon manufacturing platforms, Kenya offers a compelling proposition,” he noted.
The AGII Forum focuses on translating ideas into bankable opportunities and facilitating real transactions across clean energy, sustainable industries, and green value chains.
At the event, the DP launched the Institutional Clean Cooking Investment Sector Pack, Kenya’s National Cooking Transition Strategy and the Burn Manufacturing Electric Cookstove, all geared towards developing and boosting environment friendly and sustainable solutions to cooking.
“Nearly 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, and close to one billion people lack access to clean cooking solutions. In Kenya, we are now deliberately repositioning clean cooking – not as a social or philanthropic intervention – but as a strategic green investment opportunity,” DP said.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
