Absa Bank Kenya Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Charles Wokabi and MK Africa CEO Muthoni Kanyana sign an MOU to empower the next generation of sustainability champions.
MK-Africa has partnered with Absa Kenya Foundation (AKF) in a strategic move that seeks to foster the growth and emergence of a new breed of young innovation-inclined sustainability leaders in Africa.
The pact was formalized by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, during the launch of the two-day #MyLittleBigThing Innovation Bootcamp, which is a flagship of the youth sustainability platform of MK Africa.
#MyLittleBigThing is a prominent youth-led innovation initiative that allows young Africans to turn ideas for a sustainable future into scalable and tangible solutions. The online platform aims to engage young Africans in using innovation and entrepreneurship as tools for solving driving socio-environmental and economic issues.
As part of the ongoing bootcamp, a total of 50 high-potential youth innovators are undergoing extensive training sessions related to problem validation, prototyping, and strategic clarity. The entire process will culminate in a “Final Pitch Showcase” where innovators will showcase their polished solutions for sustainability to industry experts and partners.
MK-Africa Chief Executive Officer Muthoni Kanyana has hailed the partnership as a “milestone in the development of innovation among Africa’s youth.”
“This is an important day for innovative youth in Africa. ‘#MyLittleBigThing Challenge seeks to find sustainability leaders of tomorrow today and provide them with skills to bring about change,” said Kanyana. “This partnership confirms our mission to put young people front and centre in realizing a sustainable future,” she concluded.
According to Charles Wokabi, the Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs for Absa Bank Kenya, this partnership fits well within the absorba’s ideals of youth empowerment and innovation.
At Absa, we realize the potential that young Africans possess. With this partnership, we are empowering the youth with relevant skills that focus on sustainable value chains, financial inclusion, and digital economic empowerment,” Wokabi said.
Under this partnership arrangement, the Absa Kenya Foundation will facilitate the bootcamp as the Innovation Bootcamp Partner in accordance with its strategic pillars of Education & Skills Development and Entrepreneurship & Economic Empowerment.
AKF’s role comprises logistical support, provision of mentorship opportunities for innovators, and incorporation of learning essentials like the #ReadyToWork initiative by Absa into the boot-camp experience.
The collaboration will run for one year until December 31st, 2026, and will create a platform for further collaboration between MK-Africa and the Absa Kenya Foundation towards the promotion of youth-driven innovation for sustainability.
“Through collaboration with MK-Africa, we are supporting and championing initiatives that develop key, practical skills for the future and look forward to further opportunities to develop the next generation of sustainability innovators in Africa,” Wokabi said further.