By: Van
Soul Addey
Kenya's Special Envoy on
Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, has called for stronger digital
capabilities, improved access to capital and supportive regulatory environments
to strengthen Africa's startup ecosystem and expand opportunities for homegrown
businesses.
Thigo made the remarks
during a panel discussion at the Africa Startup Festival Kenya 2026, held under
the theme "Building for Africa, From Africa", which examined the
conditions necessary to advance African entrepreneurship.
The discussion, moderated by
Elana Laichena, featured Neil Ribeiro and Annepeace Alwala and focused on key
factors shaping the growth and competitiveness of African startups, including
access to capital, digital infrastructure, talent development, supportive
regulatory environments and opportunities for cross-border expansion.
Thigo emphasised the need to
strengthen Africa's digital capabilities, particularly in data, computing
infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, to enable homegrown
businesses to develop competitive products and services.
The discussions also
highlighted the importance of creating an enabling environment for African
entrepreneurs to build solutions that respond to the continent's needs while
competing in broader markets.
Thigo said the engagement
reinforced the importance of collaboration among governments, investors,
entrepreneurs and technology partners in strengthening Africa's startup
ecosystem.
Such collaboration, he
noted, is essential to expanding economic opportunities across the continent
and supporting the growth of businesses developing technology solutions from
within Africa.
