NAIROBI, Kenya — The Embassy of Kenya in Stockholm has announced the 1st International Investment Conference and Trade Fair focused on transforming Kenya’s indigenous knowledge and intellectual assets into market-ready innovations, in a major push to attract diaspora investment from the Nordics and Baltics region.
The conference, scheduled for 21st to 23rd April 2026 in Murang’a County, will be hosted under the theme “Transforming Kenya’s Indigenous Knowledge, Intellectual Assets into Market-Ready Innovations.”
In a communication issued by the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Stockholm, the event is being organised by the National Museums of Kenya through its Natural Products Industry (NPI) programme under the State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage.
The forum aims to unlock investment opportunities within Kenya’s indigenous and cultural economy by promoting heritage-based enterprises and positioning indigenous knowledge systems as a key driver of economic growth.
According to the organisers, the conference will spotlight sectors such as traditional foods and local cuisines, performing arts and creative industries, heritage tourism, indigenous technologies for industrialisation, and traditional medicine within a “One Health” framework.
Officials say the initiative is designed to create structured pathways for diaspora engagement, particularly targeting second- and third-generation Kenyans living in the Nordics and Baltics, by facilitating cultural reconnection, investment partnerships, and knowledge exchange.
“The event provides a strategic opportunity for diaspora investment, partnership building, knowledge exchange, and renewed engagement with Kenya’s cultural and intellectual heritage,” the statement reads.
Murang’a County will serve as the inaugural host, reflecting a broader government strategy to decentralise investment forums and promote regional economic development through cultural and knowledge-based industries.
The conference will also focus on positioning indigenous knowledge intellectual assets as an emerging economic sector, with potential for commercialisation and global market integration.
Organisers have emphasised that the platform seeks to move beyond cultural preservation to economic transformation, turning heritage assets into scalable business opportunities.
More information about the conference is available on www.ikiaconference.or.ke.
The announcement comes amid increased efforts by Kenya to leverage its diaspora communities as key partners in investment, trade, and cultural diplomacy, particularly in Europe and North America.
As preparations continue, the forum is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, cultural practitioners, and diaspora representatives in a bid to redefine how indigenous knowledge contributes to modern economic development.
