Nairobi — Tertiary colleges students will now be able to launch innovation prototypes into the market via partnerships with select companies through ITATU.

The open-source platform, which is also in partnership with the government, creates nationwide opportunities for local companies to seek partnerships with select student teams towards development of product-specific prototypes.

Under this, companies will support innovation of new products through access to relatively low-cost human capital and enable students to gain practical, on-demand skills and workplace experience.

"At the cusp of a significant shift in how economies are organised around digital and green transitions, innovation is now more crucial than ever," MITI Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana said.

"Emerging countries risk being left behind unless they pay attention to how to create and drive local innovations, and capture the leapfrog opportunities that these new developments present," Mukhwana added.