Speaker Bio

CEO,
Kenya National Innovation Agency

Dr. Tonny K. Omwansa is the current CEO of Kenya National Innovation Agency where he oversees the development and management of the National Innovation System. He is a member of ISACA, IEEE, the Board of Trustees of Kenya National Research Fund, and a Commissioner at the National Commission of Science, Technology, and Innovation. He is also an International Advisory Board Member at SLU – Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He has been involved in the technology and innovation ecosystem in Africa for the past 15 years, founding and running various entrepreneurship programs and accelerators, across different sectors including fintech and mobility. He has been a faculty member at Strathmore University and the University of Nairobi.

Dr. Omwansa created the Kenya Innovation Week and Nairobi Innovation week, mobilizing over 50 partners from the public and private sector and academia to enhance the local innovation ecosystem. Dr. Omwansa is interested in the design, adoption, and impact of innovative low-cost, and appropriate technologies in developing countries. He conducted extensive research and consultancy projects for the past 15 years on technology, innovation, financial inclusion, and mobile transactions, for various clients ranging from government institutions, international donors to multinationals (Kenyan government, Mastercard Foundation, Microsoft, World Bank, USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GSMA, Rockefeller Foundation). He, therefore, produced numerous products, reports, and publications, including a book: “Money, Real Quick: Kenya’s Disruptive Mobile Money Innovation” in 2012.