Africa Business Innovation Lab
The Africa Business Innovation Lab (ABIL) is a collaborative initiative which seeks to foster entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and investment readiness in Kenya and across Africa by leveraging EO technologies.
ABIL is implemented under the Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme (AESPP), a flagship programme funded by the European Union (EU Commission's DG-INTPA) within the Global Gateway initiative and jointly implemented by the European Space Agency and the Kenya Space Agency, which aims to bridge European and African ecosystems through Earth Observation-enabled transformative innovations.
Kenya is the first African country to host an ABIL innovation lab, offering incubation, acceleration, and capacity-building programs to support start-ups and SMEs in developing EO-based solutions for agriculture, climate resilience, health, and other sectors. The initiative will also organize hackathons, innovation challenges, and investor matchmaking events to strengthen the local innovation ecosystem.
"ABIL will play a pivotal role in supporting innovators, startups, and entrepreneurs developing solutions powered by space technologies such as Earth Observation, satellite communications, and navigation and positioning systems" said Acting Director General Brig. Hillary Kipkosgey during the kick off event on 9 March 2025.
ABIL is implemented through a consortium of international and local partners, led by STAM (Italy), in partnership with Planetek Italia (Italy), Corallia (Greece), Adanian Labs (Kenya), and LocateIT (Kenya), supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Kenya Space Agency (KSA).
The consortium integrates European expertise and African market knowledge, creating a mirrored structure to ensure balanced cooperation. Planetek Italia and LocateIT focus on EO and geospatial innovation, while Corallia and Adanian Labs lead incubation, acceleration, and venture-building efforts. STAM acts as the project coordinator, ensuring governance coherence and cross-ecosystem integration.
Kenya Space Agency (KSA)