The Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project
From august 2020 until august 2024 Maastricht School of Management (MSM) will start the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP) in collaboration with, Linking Industry with Academia (LIWA) and The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) to increase productivity and innovation in selected private sector firms.
The project is funded by the World Bank and hosted by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives (MITC). To achieve the projects objectives of increasing productivity and innovation in the private sector, the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem will be strengthened, and productivity and innovation will be increased at firm level.
Through the project industry needs will be identified to be able to add the changes in technical expertise and skills that are needed as a result of the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0). Furthermore, there is a need for talented professionals on which the project will emphasis by developing the soft skills and/or life-skills of the current and future workforce. However, it’s difficult to predict all future needs, it is a common understanding that many of the current jobs will be redundant in the next 5 to 10 years and replaced with jobs that currently do not exist yet. Technology, data and innovation will be key in this.
To develop the future workforce, increasing employability of students will be worked on by providing access to the industry, mentorships, joint research, facilities, and technologies with the goal of connecting research towards commercialization and innovation.
Youth Entrepreneurship in Kenya
There is a high youth unemployment rate in Kenya of approximately 25%. The development of the Industry-Academia Platform will play a prominent role in the project on entrepreneurship development, especially focusing on the role that academia could play in promoting entrepreneurship through integration of entrepreneurial skills in the curriculum and creating opportunities for exposure of their students.
The platform will develop training programs to students and build partnerships among the members of the platform.
Triple Helix
The Triple Helix Model (THM) will be used to link Industry, Academia and Government. The THM advocates for the effective interaction between universities, industry and government. This approach is of high importance to establish strategic partnerships on technology transfer departments at universities, the creation of incubators and innovation for technology based industrial enterprises.
MSM has successfully implemented the THM in many projects in different countries and sectors prior to the KIEP project. Successful implementation of the model means that all parties have to be actively involved, however, policy will be at the heart of driving the process.
Finally the project will provide 10 so called challenges on industry academia partnerships and will work on the establishment on the further development of an industry academia platform.
Partnerships
The project is a collaboration between MSM, Linking Industry with Academia (LIWA), and The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).
LIWA Programme Trust is a membership and projects-based organization that promotes collaborations and strategic partnerships among Industry and Academia and Government executives in a system of higher profound learning that lead to greater market competitiveness and knowledge economy in Kenya.
KEPSA is a consultancy partner in the project and is a limited liability membership organization that brings together business community in a single voice to engage and influence public policy for an enabling business environment.
Maastricht School of Management (MSM) has a highly successful track record of more than 65 years in international management development. MSM is both a business school offering management education programs to students from all over the world, and a management development institute providing capacity-building solutions for a multitude of clients worldwide.
Project Management
The project will be managed by private sector industry expert Bob van der Bijl. Besides an industry expert Bob is a consultant with deep knowledge and an extensive network of industry, academia, government and development partners in Africa.
World Bank
The $1.5 million project is funded by the World Bank. The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.
