Preparations for the 7th Edition of Pwani Innovation Week 2026 took centre stage as Swahilipot Hub hosted ambassadors, members of the diplomatic community, development partners, private sector leaders, and senior officials from the Mombasa County Government for a high-level breakfast meeting at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi.
The event showcased Swahilipot Hub's decade of empowering young people through technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and the creative economy, while outlining its vision for the next phase of growth through stronger local and international partnerships.
Speaking during the engagement, Swahilipot Hub Foundation founder Mahmoud Noor said Pwani Innovation Week has evolved into a catalyst for innovation and enterprise across the Coast region.
"Over the years, Pwani Innovation Week has become much more than an event. It has become a movement. Hundreds of businesses, startups, community initiatives, and social enterprises that once showcased their ideas on this platform have grown into thriving ventures. At Swahilipot Hub Foundation, we have witnessed thousands of young people discover their purposes," said Noor.
The breakfast meeting also provided an opportunity to deepen engagement with international partners and investors, with discussions focusing on expanding support for youth-led innovation, attracting investment and strengthening collaboration across sectors.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to fostering partnerships that will help position Mombasa and the wider Coast region as leading centres for technology, the blue economy, creativity and sustainable development.
Noor also highlighted the foundation's growing impact through its youth mentorship initiatives, saying thousands of young people had already benefited from the programme.
"In our mentorship program, supported by the Conrad Hilton Foundation, Global Development Incubator (GDI) and other partners, we have completed training the first batch of 12,000 young people in the counties of Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa. We look forward to welcome you all to the seventh edition of the Pwani Innovation Week as we celebrate 10 years of impact and together shape the next decade of innovation and transformation," he said.
The seventh edition of Pwani Innovation Week, which will take place from the 26th to 30th October, is expected to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors and development partners to explore solutions that drive inclusive economic growth and strengthen Kenya's position within Africa's innovation ecosystem.
