The Experience of the Development of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy in Kenya

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• The Experience of the Development of Science,
  Technology and Innovation Policy in Kenya
• Crispus M. Kiamba
• Permanent Secretary
• Ministry of Science Technology
• Presentation to the Global Forum on Building
  Science, Technology and Innovation Capacity for
  Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction
• Washington, D.C.
• 12-15 February 2007

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Outline

• The National Economic Council and the
  Establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce
  on STI
• Recognition of the crucial role of STI in
  development
• STI Linkages with the Economy and Sector Working
  Groups and Lead Institutions
• The Creation of the Ministry of Science and
  Technology
• STI and the Kenya Vision 2030
• The Status of STI
• STI Strategic Issues
• The Way Forward

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The National Economic Council (NESC) and the
Inter-Ministerial Taskforce

• On September 2005 NESC agreed on the crucial of
  STI in the economy and proceeded to establish an
  Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on STI
• To review the policies and strategies related to
  science, technology and innovation for Kenya
• Clearly this was in recognition of the role of
  STI in national development and global
  competitiveness
• The ability to create, access, comprehend,
  select, adapt, distribute and exploit knowledge
  (ST) is usually the determinant of material
  well-being and quality of life, and has made
  possible the significant reductions of poverty,
  wealth creation, improvements in the quality of
  life and competitiveness of a society
• In particular, there was a recognition that
  achievement of MDGs depends largely on the use of
  STI

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The Taskforce TOR

• Review existing policies affecting STI and their
  applications in the country
• Review the resources (physical, human, and
  financial) relating to STI in the country
• Review the institutional capacities available for
  use of STI
• Suggest policies to promote the use of STI in
  business and national development
• Review the relevance of the current STI education
  needs to national needs
• Identify the financing gaps for STI in various
  areas
• Propose how to nurture values which promote the
  learning of STI in schools and institutions of
  learning

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Taskforce Anticipated Output

• A report - a new National Science , Technology
  and Innovation Policy - detailing the status of
  science and technology in the country in terms
  of-
• Human, physical and financial capacities
• Indication of available technologies
• Scientific inputs and innovations
• Technological, institutional and financial gaps
• Recommendations and the way forward on the
  strategies to be adopted for harnessing science
  and technology for development.

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The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)

• The MoST established late 2005
• Immediately took over the co-ordination of the
  the exercise of the development STI Policy
• including an effective National Innovation System
  (NIS)
• Continued the use of the Inter-Ministerial
  Taskforce and Sector Working Groups (SWGs)
• worked in close consultation with the NESC
• The SWGs a reflection of close links between STI
  and the economy

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Basis of Sector Working GroupsSTI Linkages to
the Economy
Health and Life Sciences
Trade Industry
Agriculture Related Industries
Information and Communication Technology
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
Natural Resources Management
Physical Infrastructure
Mining Energy
Manufacturing
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Sector Working Groups Lead Institutions

• Existing Policies
• (Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research)
• Agriculture and Rural Development
• (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute)
• Health and Medical Services
• (Kenya Medical Research Institute)
• Industry and Entrepreneurship
• (Kenya Industrial Research and Development
  Institute)

• Education
• (Kenya Institute of Education)
• Information and Communication Technology
• (E-Government Office)
• Physical Infrastructure
• (Ministry of Public Works)
• Natural Resource Management
• (Kenya Forestry Research Institute)
• Energy
• (Ministry of Energy)

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Tentative STI Vision

• A country that uses science, technology and
  innovation to foster national development and
  global competitiveness
• Objective/Mission
• To ensure that science, technology and innovation
  are mainstreamed in the various sectors and
  processes of the economy

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STI and the Kenya Vision 2030

• STI seen as a fundamental element of the
  achievement of the countrys evolving new Vision
  2030
• Proposed Kenya Vision 2030
• A globally competitive and prosperous nation
  with a high quality of life by 2030

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The Vision, the Three Pillars, and STI
A globally competitive and prosperous nation
with a high quality of life by 2030
The Overarching vision
Economic
Social
Political
To maintain a sustained economic growth of 10
p.a. over the next 25 years
A just and cohesive society enjoying equitable
social development in a clean and secure
environment
An issue-based, people-centered, result-oriented,
and accountable democratic political system
Strategy
Plans and implementation
Science, Technology Innovation
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STI underpins every one of the three
pillarsEconomic, Social, Political

• ST capabilities determine the ability to, e.g.,
• provide clean water and improved sanitation
• improved health care
• adequate infrastructure
• safer food and increased agricultural
  productivity
• better management of disasters
• improved quality and increase access to education
  through modern technology
• new and efficient sources of energy,

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Kenyas STI StatusBenchmarking Kenyas STI
Performance

• The Indicators used to benchmark or evaluate
  international performance of Kenyas STI policy
  and regulatory framework
• Technology Achievement Index (TAI)
• Captures data on the performance of countries in
  creating and diffusing technology and in building
  a human skills base
• The ArCo Technology Index
• Captures three main dimensions of technological
  capabilities the creation of technology the
  diffusion of technology and the development of
  human skills
• Mathematics, English and Science Performance
• This evaluation is not concluded

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Kenyas STI StatusExplanation for Low Status

• The sector working groups (SWGs) have identified
  a number of issues that inhibited the effective
  mainstreaming of science, technology and
  innovation in the various sectors
• Ineffective high-level ST leadership and
  ownership
• Lack of long term strategic planning perspective
• Lack of coherence, consistence and efficiency of
  STI policies
• Absence of a strong and explicit legal and policy
  framework on STI development
• Poor understanding/utilization of
  national/indigenous knowledge/technologies/capacit
  ies

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Explanation for Low STI Status (Cont..)

• Lack of links between enterprise, communities and
  R D institutions a weak triple helix
  (interactive collaboration between universities,
  industry and the state/government) environment
• Poor capacity to acquire global knowledge and
  ineffective linkages between knowledge,
  technology and production with global
  counterparts
• Unfavourable national endogenous STI environment
  (Limited funding Limited public awareness of the
  role of STI in development Unfavourable STI
  climate)
• Weak governance i.e., existence of
  market-enhancing governance structure (MEGS)
  which is the basis of an effective and
  sustainable STI (a stable macroeconomic
  framework open markets and secure private
  property rights developed intellectual property
  regime a secure politico-institutional
  foundation for formulating and implementing
  policy and enforcing regulations,etc)

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Strategic STI Issues

• STI governance framework
• Strengthening infrastructure for STI
• Human resource development
• Technology development, transfer and diffusion
• Indigenous resources and traditional knowledge
• STI for disaster management
• Generation and management of intellectual
  property
• Public communication and advocacy for STI
• STI integration and collaboration
• Funding measures and mechanisms
• Performance assessment framework

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STI Strategic Objectives

• Ensure increased awareness of science, technology
  and innovation in Kenya to facilitate the
  emergence of Kenya as a society that harnesses
  and enables its people to fully and effectively
  participate in the application of science,
  technology and innovation for solving problems
  and enhancing human welfare.
• Ensure food, agricultural, nutritional,
  environmental, water, health and energy security
  of the people Enhance the livelihoods of the
  people by applying modern and traditional
  knowledge as well as capabilities through
  generation and widespread application of relevant
  technologies in the formal and informal sectors
  of the economy

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STI Strategic Objectives (Cont..)

• Vigorously foster scientific research in
  universities and other academic, scientific,
  engineering and research institutions
• Centres of excellence will be built and
  maintained to raise the level of work in selected
  areas to the highest international standards.
• Provide necessary autonomy and freedom of
  functioning for all academic, RD and innovation
  institutions so that an ambience for truly
  creative work is encouraged, while ensuring at
  the same time that the science and technology
  enterprise in the country is fully committed to
  its social responsibilities and commitments.
• Promote the use of existing new technologies,
  especially platform (generic) technologies that
  have broad application or impacts in the economy
  (e.g., developments in ICT, biotechnology,
  nanotechnology, and new materials will have
  profound implications for long-term economic
  transformation

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STI Strategic Objectives (Cont..)

• Build a strong innovation system to support the
  whole process of innovation, rather than merely
  RD
• emphasising clustering and networking of
  interacting and/or interconnected public and
  private organizations or institutions focused on
  the nurturing, developing and applying, and
  diffusing STI in Kenya
• Attract the brightest young persons to careers in
  science and technology.
• The national innovation system will be geared to
  ensure grooming of Kenyans from the youngest
  possible age to pursue careers and opportunities
  in science, engineering, technology and
  innovation by conveying a sense of excitement
  concerning the advancing frontiers, and by
  creating suitable employment opportunities for
  them.
• Promote the empowerment as well as full and equal
  participation of women and disadvantaged persons
  in all science, technology and innovation
  activities

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STI Strategic Objectives (Cont..)

• Use the full potential of science, technology and
  innovation to protect, preserve, evaluate,
  update, add value to, and utilize the extensive
  traditional knowledge available in the various
  Kenyan communities
• Accomplish national strategic and security
  related objectives, by using the latest advances
  in science, technology and innovation.
• Substantially strengthen enabling mechanisms that
  relate to technology development, evaluation,
  absorption and upgradation from concept to
  utilization.

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STI Strategic Objectives (Cont..)

• Promote an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
  regime that maximises the incentives for the
  generation and protection of intellectual
  property by all types of inventors and fosters
  achievement of Kenyas national development
  objectives.
• The regime would also provide a strong,
  supportive and comprehensive policy environment
  for speedy and effective domestic
  commercialization of such inventions and
  innovations to maximize public good/interest
• Ensure speedy and secure access to information,
  at an affordable and competitive cost.
• Further, creation of digitized local content,
  that is of Kenyan origin and character will be
  prioritized

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STI Strategic Objectives (Cont..)

• Promote research and application for forecasting,
  prevention and mitigation of emergencies and
  natural hazards, particularly, floods,
  landslides, drought, acts of terrorism, and
  epidemics
• Promote international science, technology and
  innovation cooperation specifically targeted
  towards achieving the goals of national
  development and security, and make it a key
  element of our international relations
• Integrate scientific knowledge with insights from
  other disciplines, and ensure fullest involvement
  of scientists and technologists in national
  governance so that the spirit and methods of
  scientific enquiry permeate deeply into all areas
  of public policy making and
• Create an enabling environment for research,
  science, technology and innovation through the
  creation and sustenance of innovative funding
  mechanisms such as venture capital to fund
  development of new and innovative products,
  processes, and systems.

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Proposed Kenyas National Innovation System
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Way Forward

• A Workshop of the SWGs Expert Resource Persons
  was held on November 2006
• An early draft national STI policy document has
  been developed
• With broad and sector specific and focused policy
  objectives and strategies
• with a propose National Innovation System
• The establishment of some of the new institutions
  being fast-tracked through the ongoing exercise
  of the review and harmonization of the legal
  framework for education, training and research
• Some of the details of STI activities and
  programmes being refined and finalised by the
  SWGs

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Way Forward (cont..)

• About to embark on a peer review with both
  national and international STI/NIS policy experts
• A final SWGs Workshop scheduled during March 2006
• A National STI Stakeholders Conference planned
  for end March 2006
• Final Policy document expected during April 2006
• Cabinet and Parliamentary approval between April
  and June 2006
• Cabinet Memorandum and a Sessional Paper on STI
• Launching and circulation to the stakeholders for
  implementation by end June.

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The President, the Vision 2030 and ST

• The economic performance of any country is
  closely tied to the application of science and
  technology... However there is serious
  limitations in application of technologyThis is
  a serious weakness in our development strategy,
  which requires urgent attention It is important
  that the Vision Strategy which is being
  developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenyas
  scientific and technological capacity,
  inculcating scientific culture, and integrating
  science and technology in our production and
  services sectors
• (Extract from the speech of H.E. Hon. Mwai
  Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya on
  the occasion of the official launch of the Vision
  2030, Nairobi, 30th October 2006)

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• The end
• ... Asanti sana!