Deputy President H.E William Ruto to officiate launch of Rift Valley Innovation Centre in Baringo County

The Deputy President, H.E William Ruto will tomorrow, March 25th, 2017, preside over the official launch of Rift Valley Innovation Centre (RVIC) a newly established rural based ICT innovation hub in Eldama Ravine Constituency, Baringo County.

RVIC aims at promoting entrepreneurship, business incubation and mentorship of innovative start-up ideas from the youth and technology entrepreneurs in rural Kenya, by providing an enabling ICT infrastructure and expertise. The Centre is targeting to tap raw ideas and talents from the local youth with limited opportunity to venture into cities and nurture them into successful excellent business opportunities.

RVIC was founded by local professionals as their contribution to their locality and to address national challenges of unemployment and poverty by making personal donations and fund raising from corporate agencies towards construction of the innovation Centre at a cost of Ksh. 24 million. Leading international ICT sector corporate agencies among them Huawei Technologies, Cisco and Intel have supported the Centre. Huawei Technologies made a contributed of Ksh 3 million towards construction of the Centre, while Cisco and Intel donated equipment. The Centre also benefited from allocation of Ksh. 7 million from Eldama Raving Constituency Fund and Baringo County government.

The Centre being one of the few rural-based ICT innovation hubs in the region will cement Kenya’s status as an emerging ICT Hub in Africa.

“Huawei is delighted to be able to support the Rift Valley Innovation Center. We strongly believe in the power of technology and innovation to improve the lives of Kenyans and this Center is one way in enabling more Kenyans that are not in the major cities to be able to develop technology solutions relevant for them and their communities as well as facilitate learning, entrepreneurship and job-creation,” said Adam Lane, Senior Director, Public Affairs, Huawei Southern Africa.

“Despite the impressive success in technological advancement in Kenya, the digital divide between the rural and urban communities remains wide. While urban communities enjoy sufficient access to ICT tools and infrastructure, their rural counterparts are far behind,” says Justice Robert Limo, RVIC Governing Council Chairman. “This rural innovation hub is aiming to bridge this gap”.

The Centre which is strategically located at an intersection of three Counties: Baringo, Elgeyo Mrakwet and Uasin Gishu Counties, and within a short distance to Nakuru, Nandi and Kericho Counties consists of a computer lab, a library and a 200 seat conference room among other innovation spaces and an heritage room.

The Centre is slowly proving its worth to the youth, particularly a growing number of unemployed college graduates and entrepreneurs who can now conveniently access internet and other ICT facilities to enable them develop and market their innovations as well as access business and jobs opportunities. It will also provide students with tools to undertake academic research, while assisting local farmers to solve farming problems and access market information.

This innovation centre will enable users to gain unlimited access to online information resources as well as marketing opportunities. It will further promote networking with peers and other players for collaborative working and exchange of ideas. It will be ideal for young and upcoming techpreneurs and other entrepreneurs interested in incubating their start-ups and nurturing them into successful innovations. Its situation in the rural area of the picturesque Rift Valley gives it the potential to attract other techies from various parts of the world who may be interested to incubate their ideas in a quiet and serene environment.