Positioning Konza Technopolis at the heart of the creative economy

Konza Technopolis was the host for the inaugural 2020 Africa Digital Influencer Awards (ADIA20), celebrating the winners at an award ceremony on January 30. 

As the Technopolis develops into a sustainable, global technology hub, the management team are positioning it as an events destination, attracting some of the biggest events hosted on the continent. This is in recognition that quality of life in Konza will be influenced by its interaction with the arts and creative economy, as well as the importance of the creative industry in Kenya’s economic development. 

The first of its kind in Africa, ADIA20 identified digital influencers who used their talents to inspire and impact society positively in Kenya and Africa during 2020. Created by Africa Digital Leadership, an entity promoting digital literacy and mastery in Africa, ADIA seeks to celebrate digital excellence and positive thinking in Africa. The awards featured 20 categories of the most influential people using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Africa Digital Leadership Principal & Co-Founder Chris Bitti said: “These awards are instrumental in promoting digital transformation, marketing, technology literacy and mastery in Africa. We are glad we have been able to use ADIA to celebrate positive digital influence in Kenya and the rest of Africa. We extend our gratitude to our event partners, the participants and KoTDA leadership for hosting us. I want to congratulate all the winners and wish them well.”

The event places Konza Technopolis at a competitive advantage through the development of Digital Media City that will nurture these talents and provide an ecosystem that promotes training, research and innovation in the digital media and entertainment industries in Kenya and the African region.

Eng. John Tanui, CEO of Konza Technopolis, explained how the development of the Konza Digital Media City will benefit creative industry players, and urged them to be part of the project.

“Through our blueprint, we are in the process of developing a Digital Media City which will comprise of TV broadcasting, animation and gaming, filming and photography, and ICT programming. This is envisioned to drive Kenya’s creative industry to higher levels and also generate investment and job opportunities for our people,” he said.

“Towards this dream, I’m glad to inform you that this week, the Government through the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs in collaboration with South Korean government launched a feasibility study for the Konza Digital Media City (DMC) project that is being implemented here with the support of Korea-Exim Bank.”

For more information about Konza Technopolis, visit https://www.konza.go.ke/.