Konza Technopolis has won the bid to host the 2024 International Association of Science Parks and Innovation Areas conference.
The members of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) voted for Kenya to host the annual high-level conference in voting done in Saville, Spain.
The bid was by Konza Technopolis Development Authority and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
IASP revealed the decision via their official social media platforms, sparking excitement among various players in Kenya’s ICT sector who hailed the move as one that will deliver vast opportunities for ICT growth in the country.
“It’s the news we’ve been waiting for. IASP members have voted and we are delighted to announce that in 2024 we will meet in beautiful Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by our colleagues at Konza,” IASP said in a tweet.
Konza Chief Executive Engineer John Tanui thanked IASP members for settling on Kenya, saying it was a demonstration of confidence to the smart city.
“We are elated by the news of winning the bid to host the 2024 World Conference of International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation. We thank members for the confidence in Kenya,” said Mr. Tanui.\
Kenya wins bid to host 2024 International Association of Science Parks and Innovation Areas conference. Voting done last evening in Saville, Spain. The bid was by Konza Technopolis Development Authority and supported by @ForeignOfficeKE pic.twitter.com/VpdHnJXqS7
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) September 30, 2022
IASP is a global network of science parks, innovation districts and other areas of innovation, boasting members in more than 70 countries worldwide.
The CEO during an investor’s forum said that the International Association of Science Parks and Innovation Areas brings over 300 members from 75 countries across the world with Konza being one of them with Kenya chairing the African continent.
“I also sit on the board of that global organization so we are able to see what is happening across the world in that space and this means we are connected to any other place of science and technology,” said the CEO.
He explained Konza as a smart city in that it focuses on sustainability by concentrating on aspects such as zero net carbon emissions, energy efficiency and also using ICT as an efficient means of interaction, service delivery and ensuring the quality of service and quality of life to the residents of the city.
“We are a city being built from scratch and very few cities in the world are built from scratch which is special in the region and the world at large,” said Tanui.
He explained that phase one of the Konza Technopolis vertical infrastructure is 80 percent complete providing the requisite amenities necessary for investors who have already started construction works for their investments.
Tanui said that the vertical infrastructure incorporates the roads, water, electricity, solid waste system, and all the other amenities of a city and they have constructed them in world-class standards to ensure that the infrastructure is futuristic, resilient, sustainable and able to be a model for other developments in the country and regionally.
“We have some of the latest world-class infrastructures at Konza. When we talk about roads, we are talking about street scapes where we have additional facilities like cycling lanes, green spaces, the allocation for things like internet cables, water pipes, wastewater among others,” said Tanui.
Konza is one of the key flagship projects of Kenya’s Vision 2030 economic blueprint.