(JJ van Dongen, Senior Vice President & CEO Philips Africa)
Philips has announced it will establish a research and innovation hub in Kenya to serve the rest of Africa, which it said was a way of reaffirming its commitment to Africa and will also work on the creation and marketing of new inventions.
The main focus of the Philips Africa Hub will be application-focused scientific and user studies used in addressing key challenges such as access to lighting and affordable healthcare in addition to developing innovations to meet the aspirational needs of the rising middle class in Africa.
Both African talents and international researchers will work at the hub operating on the concept of “open innovation” in close collaboration with the R&D ecosystem of Kenya and Africa.
Philips is also in discussions with local organisations and universities on collaborations to co-create meaningful solutions for Africa.
“We welcome the establishment of Philips’ Innovation Hub in Kenya; Philips is a globally recognised innovation powerhouse and their selection of Nairobi as the site to establish their African Innovation hub is a testament to the Kenyan government’s commitment to nurture the drive for research and innovation in the region,” said Adan Mohammed, cabinet secretary for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development.
“We lend our full support to the investment being made by Philips and look forward to the outcomes of their Africa-specific research and projects that can contribute to transforming society, business and government across the continent.”
JJ van Dongen, senior vice president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Philips Africa, said: “Philips is passionate to invent, apply technology and partner to help people succeed. Our ambition is to create impactful innovations that matter to people and address the key challenges that confront society. With Kenya as a leader in the continent in science and entrepreneurship as well as a hub of collaboration on technology and innovation, Nairobi, is the ideal location to establish Philips’ African research presence.
“We want to tap into the city’s vibrant R&D ecosystem and contribute to the process of co-creating new solutions, new business models and meaningful partnerships to provide innovations that make an impact.”
