DOT Kenya Innovation Fest participants hold their ReachUp! program certificates

On Friday the 27th April, 2012 DOT Kenya held an exciting youth Innovation Fest at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. The Fest, which was championed by the Business Hub interns in the region, aimed at showcasing and celebrating DOT Interns, participants, community partners, as well as engaging government and corporate stakeholders to share ideas on how youth can embrace technology to create sustainable livelihoods.

Themed "Harnessing Youth Entrepreneurship, Embracing Technology," DOT Kenya's Innovation Fest attracted over 500 youth and youth groups, government and corporate partners. These included Malindi Educational Development Association, Kwacha Africa, Family Health Options Kenya, CAMARA Education, Licodep-Likoni, Bicharo Yaa, Jahazi, Kwacha Africa and Wema Center. The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mombasa campus and Mombasa Polytechnic University College also had stands and gave the participants information on various technology courses offered at the institutions. Kenya Commercial Bank, Bank of Africa, Faulu Kenya, First Community Bank, SMEP, Kenya Women Finance Trust and the Youth Development Fund were among the host of financial and corporate institutions that attended and exhibited at the Fest. They also offered information and advice on various sources of funding and financial management especially for those youth groups and individuals interested in growing their enterprises. As a result over 50 youth opened bank accounts on site and some also benefited from free health checks at the Fest!

The key highlight of the Fest was the interactive session during which the panelists, Mwangi from Provincial Director Ministry of Youth Affairs Coast, Hellen from Provincial Director Department of Youth Training, Deche from Youth Development Fund Coast Province, Jilo from IT department Aga Khan Hospital Mombasa, and Evans, the Territory Manager at Safaricom Limited in Mombasa, were put to task by the audience on various sub-themes such as barriers and incentives to youth enterprise start-ups, ICT/Mobile technology and its role in entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and micro-enterprise opportunities to accelerate youth entrepreneurship/business.

Particularly, the youth's eagerness to learn more on how they could apply ICT in their daily lives and businesses was very encouraging. Notably also at the Fest was the DOT Women's Network session, led by Ayshah Maende, Field Officer from the Coast Region and facilitators from the Ministry of Gender and the Kenya Women Finance Trust, who shared on the 'Women and Business" sub-theme. Also featured was the DOT Cafe, led by Coast Interns Samuel Kamiri and Vincent Musembi, who demonstrated how the DOT ReachUp! Program is facilitated.

The Fest was wound up by a graduation ceremony for some of the ReachUp! participants who were awarded certificates of achievement by DOT Kenya's Country Director Evans Njoro. In his remarks, the Director encouraged the youth to use the information obtained to empower themselves and their communities.

DOT Kenya hopes to replicate the Innovation Fest in other regions to enable many youth and women obtain first-hand information on how to integrate ICT in their entrepreneurship initiatives and, most importantly, livelihoods.