PS Juma Mukhwana Calls on Youth to Lead Kenya’s Industrial and Innovation Leap

By Churchill Simiyu Reporter
Nairobi, January 27, 2026 —

Kenya is at a historic inflection point and must harness the energy, skills and imagination of its youth to emerge as a global industrial and innovation hub, Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana said on Tuesday.

Speaking during Kenyatta University’s Career Week, PS Mukhwana described the present era as Kenya’s—and Africa’s—“defining moment,” urging young people to look beyond the pursuit of jobs and instead focus on building industries, creating value and driving national transformation.

His address was framed against the rapid advance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is reshaping global power and prosperity through artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, clean energy and data-driven economies. Unlike past industrial revolutions that largely bypassed Africa, Mukhwana said the continent now has a rare opportunity to compete and lead.

“Africa accounts for nearly 17 per cent of the world’s population, yet produces less than three per cent of global manufactured output,” he noted, describing the disparity not as a failure but as a call to action for innovation-led growth.

The PS highlighted the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda as a key response, citing renewed focus on manufacturing, enterprise development, value addition and the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya initiative. He pointed to investments in Special Economic Zones, industrial parks, County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), and the digital economy as foundational pillars for inclusive and competitive industrial growth.

However, Mukhwana cautioned that policy frameworks and infrastructure alone would not deliver industrialisation. He stressed that transformation ultimately depends on people—on ideas, skills and the courage to innovate. Universities, he said, must evolve into engines of creativity and problem-solving, producing builders and innovators rather than graduates focused solely on employment.

Addressing students directly, the PS challenged them to think beyond personal success and focus on impact and national significance. “Ask not only who will employ you, but what you can build,” he said, emphasising that Africa’s future rests on the bold imagination and decisive action of its youth.

He also underscored the urgency of breaking Africa’s long-standing reliance on exporting raw materials while importing finished goods. Domestic value addition, local job creation and wealth retention, he said, are essential to sustainable prosperity and a fairer position in the global economy.

PS Mukhwana commended Kenyatta University for its role in nurturing transformative leaders and encouraging students to challenge limitations. He concluded with a rallying call for young Kenyans to rise above fear and comfort, seize opportunities presented by the current era and play a central role in reshaping Africa’s economic destiny.

“This is Kenya’s moment to industrialise,” he said. “This is Africa’s moment to create prosperity. And this is the moment for our young people to dream boldly and change the world.”