The AgriTech Innovation, Financing and Policy workshop, held on 29th January 2026 in Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi, convened key stakeholders across Kenya’s agricultural technology ecosystem, including government officials, startups, funders, and development partners.
“Hii ni jua ya mvua”
For any other Nairobian, this is just an ordinary statement, but for a resident of Mukuru, this statement and the heat coming from the sun is a call to quick retrospection. Is my bed raised high enough? Did I remember to put the important documents in the backpack? Will I be out of work by the time it starts to pour?
In nature, silicate rocks such as basalt slowly react with CO₂ and water, converting carbon into stable carbonate minerals or dissolved bicarbonates over long time scales. Enhanced Rock Withering (ERW) speeds up this reaction by mining suitable silicate rocks, grinding them into fine particles to increase surface area, and applying them to agricultural soils.
As COP 30 came to an end in Belem, Brazil, on 22nd November 2025, one of the critical questions people ask themselves is what’s next for the local community. This year’s COP, termed the “Implementation COP,” clearly indicates that the world is now cognizant that all ambitions must be matched with implementation.
The government requires all new mini-grids to comply with the Kenya National Distribution Code to build grid-ready mini-grids. This approach is intended to support long-term planning and prevent duplication of infrastructure. However, this policy has created uncertainty for investors. Developers are unsure what will happen when their systems are integrated into the grid. Without clear protocols for compensation, asset transfer or operational continuity post-integration, investors remain cautious.
While technological advancement continues to reshape agriculture globally, its potential in the African context is both profound and complex. Given that the agricultural sector is largely composed of resource-poor smallholders, the integration of technology faces inherent limitations, often operating at a more foundational and fragmented level.
In Kenya’s informal settlements, electricity access remains a persistent socio-technical challenge shaped by the tension between the national utility’s push for formal connections and the entrenched presence of informal electricity providers, often called cartels.
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, cooking is still very much a smoky affair for both rural and urban households. Despite decades of policy ambition and investment, biomass remains a dominant player in the cooking landscape.