The African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group, has approved a $73.31 million loan to strengthen higher education in science and technology across Kenya.
The investment forms part of the second phase of the Support to Higher Education, Science and Technology Project (HEST II) and aims to modernize 19 public universities with new laboratories, teaching equipment, and digital learning tools. The project will also establish three centres of excellence in engineering and a science and technology park designed to help students and researchers transform innovative ideas into practical business and industry solutions.
Beyond infrastructure, the initiative will fund scholarships for 103 university lecturers, provide training to upgrade staff skills in line with new technologies, and implement a competency-based education curriculum. It will also promote youth entrepreneurship through tailored training and mentorship programmes. More than 100 youth-led start-ups are expected to benefit from newly created incubation hubs that will help young innovators scale their ideas into viable enterprises.
“For many, education remains the surest path to a better life,” said Hendrina Doroba, Division Manager for Education and Skills Development at the African Development Bank Group. “We’re helping Kenya’s young people gain the skills that employers need today — and the confidence to create their own jobs tomorrow.”
By 2030, the HEST II project is expected to reach more than 20,000 students, including 8,000 young women, and to generate around 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. The initiative builds on the success of the first phase, which upgraded facilities at eight universities and improved engineering programmes nationwide.
With this new investment, the African Development Fund aims to ensure that every region in Kenya benefits from a stronger, fairer, and more connected higher education system that empowers youth, drives innovation, and accelerates the country’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.
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