By James Wakahiu
Mount Kenya University has been honoured with a Certificate of Appreciation for the institution’s active participation in the 13th Academia Public-Private Partnership Forum and Exhibition (APPPF) held in Kigali, Rwanda last week.
The prestigious forum, organized by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and the East African Business Council (EABC), brought together academia, researchers, innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders to strengthen collaboration between universities and industries in addressing regional development challenges.
Established in 2012, the APPPF has grown into a pivotal event fostering academia-industry partnerships across the East African region.
Held every two years, it provides a vital platform for networking, idea exchange, and co-creation of solutions to address pressing economic and developmental issues facing the region.
The theme of the meeting was Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship through University-Industry Partnerships for East Africa’s Sustainable Future. Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, IUCEA’s Executive Secretary, praised the forum’s role in fostering sustainable development, stating, “Through strategic collaborations, we can transform research into impactful solutions and build a competitive knowledge economy for East Africa.”
Speaking at the forum, Joseph Nsengimana, Rwanda’s Minister of Education, who was the Chief Guest, emphasized the significance of strong academia-industry partnerships in driving Africa’s economic transformation.
He also launched the Research Excellence Framework for Higher Education in East Africa (REFHE-EA), an initiative aimed at bolstering research quality and fostering university-industry collaboration across the region.
MKU was represented by the Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Peter Wanderi (Principal Corporate Services, Communication and Director Linkages and partnerships) and Mr Boniface Murigi, who is the director of Marketing and Communication Affairs. Also present was the Mount Kigali University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Martin Kimemia, several other Vice Chancellors and university heads, professors, as well as captains and chieftains of industry and commerce.
Prof. Peter Wanderi made a presentation on United Nation Academic Impact (UNAI) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-9); Industry, innovation and Infrastructure.
MKU is the UN academic Impact SDG-9 hub. He focused on how universities can promote SDGs through the UNAI initiative.
“As a long-standing UNAI member, MKU previously served as the SDG-10 Hub on Reduced Inequalities (2021–2024) and has now been selected as the SDG-9 Hub Chair (2025–2027), emphasizing Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,” he said.
He also presented initiatives which have been implemented across multiple campuses of the institution, including Mount Kigali University (MKU Rwanda).
“The university aligns its policies, research, and community engagement with the SDGs through various initiatives,” said Prof Wanderi.
The three-day forum that took place between March 12 and 14 sort to delve into sustainable growth East Africa in the context of a competitive world.
Key factors to consider are the relevance of programmes East African Universities are offering to the industry.
Dr Vincent Gaitho, Chairman, Education Sector, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Chairman, MKU Council, delivered a keynote speech on “Private sector perspective on Academia industry collaboration”.
He said that at the dawn of the 3rd decade of the 21st century, the world is awake to a new frontier of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and relevance of business as usual paradigm.
“Never before has the question of academia- industry collaboration been featured than now,” he said.
Dr Gaitho said there is a need to engage the industry in programme development and review if the universities are to meet the talent requirements by the industry.
“There is also a need for pursuing industry relevant research in order to offer solutions while ensuring new products and services, new markets and new fields,” he added.
He called on universities to engage industry champions in contributing to training and supervision while underscoring reliable industry engagement through dual training, internships and apprenticeships. “Universities should inculcate work ethics and soft skills relevant to work environments to graduates while seeking opportunities to solve industry problems,” he noted.
Meanwhile, he said that the universities should be at the forefront to disrupt the norm and trigger EA based solutions to EA. “Furthermore, academic industry collaboration should be superseded by intra and inter academia sector collaboration as a panacea for sustainability,” Dr Gaitho told the delegates.
Ms Veronica Nduva, East African Community (EAC) Secretary General told the delegates that the EAC Vision 2050 underscores the urgent need to develop a skilled workforce, drive industrialization, enhance agricultural value chains and harness technological innovations.
“By fostering strong collaborations between universities and industries, we can equip our youth with the skills, knowledge, and entrepreneurial mindset necessary to transform East Africa into a globally competitive region,” she noted.
The recognition of Mount Kenya University’s contributions highlights its dedication to fostering innovation, research excellence, and academia-industry linkages, ultimately driving socio-economic growth in East Africa.
