The National Government, through the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and its Natural Products Industry (NPI) Program, is implementing a transformative agenda known as Heritage-Based Enterprises.

The National Government, through the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and its Natural Products Industry (NPI) Program, is implementing a transformative agenda known as Heritage-Based Enterprises.

By Stella Ranji 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Members of the Media, Esteemed Partners and Stakeholders.

On behalf of the National Museums of Kenya Board of Directors, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome you all to this important Media Launch and Fundraising event for the upcoming 1st International Investment Conference and Trade Fair 2026.

Today marks more than the launch of an event. It marks the strengthening of a national vision—one that places heritage, knowledge, and community at the heart of Kenya’s sustainable development journey.
The National Government, through the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and its Natural Products Industry (NPI) Program, is implementing a transformative agenda known as Heritage-Based Enterprises.
 This agenda is a key thematic pillar of NMK’s Strategic Plan 2023–2027 and is fully aligned with Kenya’s Vision 2030 Fourth Medium Term Plan (2023–2027).
At its core, this agenda is premised on one powerful truth:
Indigenous knowledge is an intellectual asset of immense value.
Indigenous knowledge offers what modern innovation often struggles to achieve—solutions that are deeply rooted in nature, culture, sustainability, and lived experience. These solutions are authentic, place-based, and cannot be easily replicated or manufactured elsewhere. They carry the wisdom of generations and the promise of inclusive growth.
However, Ladies and Gentlemen, for this vast potential to be realized, one principle must guide us clearly and firmly:
Local communities—the custodians of this knowledge—must be treated as partners, not suppliers.
Clear ownership, fair and equitable benefit-sharing, and ethical business models are not optional; they are essential. We therefore encourage policy-makers, researchers, technology holders, and investors to recognize and appreciate the enormous opportunity that indigenous knowledge intellectual assets present—particularly when nurtured within enabling policy, legal, and institutional frameworks.
It is precisely for this reason that the upcoming International Investment Conference and Trade Fair is so timely and significant. It provides a unique platform for dialogue, partnership, and investment—bringing together innovators, communities, investors, and regulators to explore new business opportunities grounded in heritage and sustainability.

I am especially pleased to welcome you to the National Museums of Kenya, the host of today’s Media Launch for the upcoming 1st International Investment Conference and Trade Fair 2026 on Indigenous Knowledge Intellectual Assets. This landmark event will be presided over by the Cabinet Secretary and overseen by the Principal Secretary, underscoring its national importance.
Through the NPI Program, NMK is implementing the Heritage-Based Enterprises agenda in close collaboration with multiple national agencies, county governments—coordinated through the Council of Governors’ Secretariat—as well as local community elders and young champions of culture. This is not a sectoral initiative; this is a truly national agenda.

A flagship achievement under this agenda is the Indigenous Knowledge Documentation and Digitization (IK DoDi) Project, which has been successfully rolled out in thirteen counties:
Garissa, Kakamega, Kericho, Kilifi, Kisii, Makueni, Marsabit, Murang’a, Siaya, Tharaka Nithi, Turkana, and Vihiga.
Through this project, NMK is fulfilling its core mandate—harnessing both tangible and intangible heritage to contribute meaningfully to Kenya’s socio-economic development. Importantly, NMK has put in place critical enabling instruments, including a Research Policy and an Intellectual Property Policy, which pave the way for responsible innovation, commercialization, and market access based on documented indigenous knowledge assets.

Your Excellences, Distinguished Guests, Board Chair, and Esteemed Stakeholders,
The IK DoDi Project seeks to ultimately cover all 47 counties, in line with the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act, 2016. While this is being implemented in phases, the vision remains clear and unwavering.
Phase One has already delivered a major milestone the establishment of an Indigenous Knowledge Innovation Bank.
 This platform will enable value addition, commercialization, job creation, wealth generation, and improved livelihoods for local communities—ensuring that the benefits of heritage-based enterprises are shared fairly and sustainably.

As we launch this journey toward the 1st International Investment Conference and Trade Fair 2026, we invite you—our partners in the media, investors, policymakers, and the Kenyan public—to walk with us. Together, let us transform heritage into opportunity, knowledge into innovation, and culture into sustainable prosperity.

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