The lesson of the Italian "renewable" world arrives in Nairobi to help Kenya to bring together the enormous potential of the territory and the work of bodies, institutions and non-governmental organizations that often operate as "watertight compartments".
The Embassy of Italy in Kenya has promoted and organized, with the Res4 Africa Foundation and the Politecnico di Milano, a conference entitled "Renewable Energy in Kenya: Unlocking Investments, Innovation and Research", calling for a sort of lecture-comparison, actors in the field of renewable energy and sustainability throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the Aula Magna of the prestigious Strathmore University of Nairobi, on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 January, Italian realities already rooted or interacting in the African continent such as ENEA and Enel Green Power, from Intesa San Paolo to the main Italian universities (Sapienza, Politecnico di Torino, Pisa and Bologna as well as the already mentioned Politecnico di Milano), will discuss issues related to alternative and renewable energy in Kenya, in the presence of the Kenyan Ministers of Energy, Chrles Keter, Environment Keriako Tobiko and Treasury Ukur Yattani and the Italian Ambassador to Kenya Alberto Pieri, as well as top managers of Kenyan companies such as Power & Lightning, KETRACO, KenGen and EPRA.
The stated objective of the meeting: to promote Italian "best practices" in terms of training, research and innovation in the field of renewable energy and development and with a view to establishing a fruitful exchange and potential partnership with the relevant Kenyan authorities and stakeholders.
In this field, Italy can count on a particularly rich heritage of experience and expertise that includes, in addition to institutional actors, some small private sector start-ups, civil society actors, some important universities and research institutes, each of which is a bearer of specific skills and experience.
Opportunities to involve the private sector and to form valid Public-Private Partnerships among all stakeholders, including private companies and Kenyan public institutions, will be discussed. In addition, the exploration of a variety of routes to the market in the renewable energy sector in Kenya will provide new opportunities and business perspectives.