The Republic of Kenya continues to demonstrate its commitment to leveraging innovation and technological advancements to tackle its socioeconomic needs. This commitment is evident in the space sector, where the applications of space data are increasingly benefiting key national priority sectors, such as agriculture and natural resource management. To ensure the continued sector growth and increased overall contribution to economic development, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) in partnership with the Research Institute of Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), supported by the United Kingdom International Development (UKID) through the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa Fund (RISA Fund) programme, embarked on drafting a comprehensive roadmap for the space sector innovation ecosystem in Kenya by means of an Ecosystem Maturity Assessment (EMA).
The Ecosystem Maturity Assessment (EMA) offers an in-depth analysis of the current state of Kenya’s space innovation ecosystem. It evaluates the ecosystem’s performance based on a range of maturity criteria, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, and challenges within the sector: first, an assessment of Kenya’s space innovation ecosystem using five of the IDIA ecosystem-strengthening goals; and second, a benchmarking exercise that compares Kenya’s space ecosystem with those in East Africa, across the African continent, and with selected global space ecosystems.
Key insights from the EMA highlight that considerable efforts have been directed towards building networking assets and fostering a culture of innovation within the ecosystem, notably through major convening events like the Kenya Space Expo and Conference 2024 and the Africa Earth Observation Challenge. While funding availability and overall activity in the space sector have increased, there remains significant opportunities for further growth. These not only entail the expansion of funding but also the promotion of the broader application of space data and technology across various sectors where usage is currently limited.
A disconnect persists between the skills required by the space sector and the training available, which continues to hinder the sector’s potential for growth. Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness of the potential applications of space data and technology, which has limited utilisation.
To overcome these challenges and unlock its potential, the Kenyan space innovation ecosystem will need to:
i. raise awareness and ignite curiosity about the space sector and its potential to transform the nation’s growth.
ii. harness Kenya’s entrepreneurial spirit and technological prowess to accelerate the adoption of space data and technology as well as drive
innovation across various industries.
iii. establish Communities of Practice (CoP) to encourage collective approaches towards growing the space sector and enhancing stakeholder engagements.
iv. collaborate with local universities to align on courses and training programmes that will cultivate the skilled talent needed to create a thriving space ecosystem; and
v. leverage the role of KSA to boost public investment as well as to unlock other investments and propel the space sector to new heights.
The regional space ecosystem benchmarking exercise showed that Kenya is currently one of the leading space ecosystems in East Africa – from space activity and public and private sector participation to the overall size of its funding landscape.
Although Kenya is still among the leading space ecosystems on the continent, there are some insights that Kenya can gain from the development pathways of more mature space ecosystems such as South Africa and Egypt, which may enhance its unique industrialisation pathway.
This report is structured to showcase the ecosystem maturity assessment followed by lessons learned and recommendations.
The report can be accessed here: Kenyan Space Innovation Ecosystem Review.
