Mount Kenya University (MKU) will proudly fly Kenya’s flag at two major international entrepreneurship events in Germany in September and October 2025.
From 3rd to 12th September 2025, two MKU students – Esbon Ogeto and Bettinah Maruti – will participate in the Africa German Entrepreneurship Academy (AGEA) Start-up Class 2025 in Leipzig, Germany, under the fully funded ACCESS 2.0 Project. They will join innovators from across Africa, alongside two Kabarak University students from ACCESS-Kenya, in pitching their business ideas to experts from Leipzig University’s Small Enterprise Promotion and Training (SEPT) programme, inspired by Germany’s successful Mittelstand model.
The ACCESS project, launched in 2020, has so far supported over 3,300 students and 530 lecturers through workshops, summer schools, conferences, and job-shadowing opportunities. According to Prof. Peter G. Kirira (DVC, Administration, Planning & Institutional Advancement, and ACCESS Board Member), the initiative equips participants with career-enhancing skills and fosters innovation across a 37-university network.
Through AGEA, participants will benefit from tailored training, mentorship, incubation via Leipzig University’s SMILE-Inkubator, and opportunities to test their models against other global start-ups. Dr. Henry Yatich, ACCESS Coordinator at MKU, noted that the programme forms part of a broader strategy to expand postgraduate and staff exchange opportunities. In 2025 alone, MKU has already facilitated staff training in Leipzig and will host a visiting lecturer in the September–December semester.
In October 2025, MKU staff will also attend accelerator training in Munich under the Africa Meets Bavaria Project. The project has enrolled 100 MKU students, with the top three earning placements in Bavarian innovation hubs in 2026.
The ACCESS 2.0 project is also reforming entrepreneurship curricula by integrating AI-powered, student-centred learning and MBA service-learning modules, connecting students with SMEs for real-world problem-solving. Strategic partnerships with KEPPSA, KAM, and local innovation hubs aim to ensure the programme’s success through to 2029.
“These opportunities show how MKU researchers and innovators are transcending geographical boundaries, advancing the EU–AU Research and Innovation Agenda,” said Dr. Yatich.
More about ACCESS: https://access-centre.org
