Konza Technopolis Launches Inaugural ESG Report; Highlights Key Projects Progress
Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA), the agency mandated to implement the Konza Technopolis project, has launched its inaugural Annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
The report highlights the progress of key projects in the smart city with their sustainability aspects at a time when private investors and government entities are setting up business operations at Phase One, which is 88 percent complete.
On the key projects updates, the smart city facilities development is now at 55 percent completion; the Konza Conference Facility is at 59 percent completion; the new investors have now taken up over 80 percent of Phase One, while the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)’s Core Buildings, Administration Buildings, Laboratories and Accommodation are at 17.58% completion.
Speaking during the launch of the report at the Annual Investors and Partners Breakfast, John Paul Okwiri, Ag. CEO of KoTDA said: “As a smart city, we embed sustainability in our key projects. The launch of this report shows our commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and our investors will be able to benefit from this report.
“In today’s session with investors and partners, we took time to provide key highlights that we have made in the financial year and highlighted some upcoming projects in Technopolis in the new financial year. We are happy to bring together partners from Academia, Industry, private sector and development organizations for co-creation and development of Africa’s Silicon Savanna.
The inaugural ESG report also showcases KoTDA’s commitment to sustainable development from the lenses of Economic, Social, and environmental conservation and preservation.
In particular, the Authority is keen to contribute to the National greening ambition and has already established a tree nursery with 600,000 seedlings scalable to 10 million trees for the greening ambition of the Technopolis, the buffer zone area and identified strategic areas such as water towers.
The Authority seeks to integrate technology to deliver the first smart tree nursery to effectively manage and monitor the nursery, contributing to the reclamation of Konza Technopolis, nestled within a savannah with semi-arid ecological conditions.
Additionally, Technopolis seeks to locate smart agricultural farms in the Agri parcels to promote urban farming technologies for food security and to enable wildlife preservation at Technopolis’s 1000 acre wildlife corridor.
During the event which was also attended by Eng. John Tanui, Principal Secretary, State Department of ICT (represented by Wesley Maritim, Director Administration, State Department of ICT) and Prof. Raphael Munavu, Chairman of KoTDA, the Authority signed MOUs with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Africa Center of Technologies and Studies (ACTS).
The MoU between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (UNESCO) and KoTDA seeks to strengthen digital entrepreneurship development, develop Konza Technopolis as a desired smart city and advance sharing of knowledge economy.
On the other hand, the MoU with between the Africa Center of Technologies and Studies (ACTS) and KoTDA seeks to promote research and development at Konza Technopolis, develop skills and talent of the digital economy, promote digital solutions and commercialize digital innovations.
