Eng. Ndiritu (Right) and Mr. Akuno interact with a student at the University Engineering workshop.
As a strategic approach towards advancing local manufacturing in the country and enhancing industry-academia linkage, Merican Limited is forging a partnership with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The proposed collaborative research agreement will see Merican partner with the university’s College of Engineering and Technology (COETEC) on manufacturing research matters, covering equipment fabrication, quality standards, innovation, value addition, intellectual property, among others.
Speaking during their second meeting with the JKUAT team on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Merican Managing Director, Mr. Fred Akuno, expressed confidence that a collaboration with JKUAT was a move in the right direction, lauding the university’s strength in Engineering, Innovation and Technology.
“As Merican, we believe that industry-academia partnerships are instrumental in advancing research, innovation, and creating a skilled workforce, and that’s why we are here. As a local manufacturer keen on advancing the buy Kenya build Kenya and enhancing our R&D, we have no doubt that in JKUAT we have the right partner,” he said.
Consultative meeting between JKUAT and the Merican team.
Noting that the cost of manufacturing has gone up both locally and globally, Mr. Akuno further averred that the partnership with the university was coming at the right time, expressing optimism that through it, strategies of reducing cost of production locally would be devised and implemented.
On his part, the College of Engineering and Technology Ag. Principal, Dr. Eng. Hiram Ndiritu, underscored the importance of enhancing industry linkages, terming it a key way of ensuring that academia is in tandem with industry dynamics, and that students are holistically trained.
“As a university, we are keen on ensuring that we debunk the notion that learning institutions are ivory towers. Industry players such as Merican are our most valuable partners in ensuring that the university mission and vision is achieved. This can be done through capacity building, technology transfer, and collaborative research,” added Dr. Ndiritu.
His sentiments were echoed by the Chair, Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Dr. (Eng.) Karanja Kabini, who emphasized that experience at an actual manufacturing environment would be key in reinforcing student training and advancing innovation.
“Through this collaboration, we will have our students absorbed by Merican on industrial attachment, internships and graduate trainee programs. The company will in turn leverage on the skill-set and expertise of these students, due to their training on all facets of manufacturing and mechanical engineering,” added Dr. Muvengei.
JKUAT’s David Chitayi makes a demonstration at the welding workshop during the visit.
