For years now, we have been working very hard to connect Mombasa to the global grid (3 years to be exact). And now we finally have a space to bring to life.

This space is called the SwahiliBox, and will not only become Mombasa’s next big thing in technology, but also Africa’s next big thing in technology.

SwahiliBox shall be a project of M-Power – Which is an organization in Mombasa that looks to create opportunities for people in Mombasa and within the Kenya Coast by means of creating Community Driven Technology Initiatives.

The SwahiliBox will work closely with partners that include the National Museums of Kenya, SEACOM, Angani, the iHub, Ushahidi and will be having a strong collaboration with many other local and regional partners.

The key pillar SwahiliBox will work out of will be the community. We envision to seeing the Technology Hub being brought to life by the vibrant community that M-Power already has already formed.

What does the SwahiliBox aim to achieve in Mombasa?
There is a huge disconnect between the technology eco-system in Mombasa and the regional technology eco-system. Through our work throughout the years in Mombasa we have found that there are individuals who have talent, but do not have access to programs as well as initiatives that will allow them to explore ways to create initiatives or businesses that will transform their lives and the lives of fellow Africans connected to the technology grid.

Although M-Power has already created a community and has already formulated concrete programs and initiatives to allow various individuals in Mombasa to gain access to frameworks and take advantage of regional opportunities, SwahiliBox will be the major force to push this to its full potential and will allow m-power to focus on socio-economic empowerment, inspiring and developing individuals to help them develop new and innovative ideas through networking, access to training and support and professional mentoring and coaching.

It will brings together investors, donors, entrepreneurs, experts, artists, and other individuals and will provide them with an opportunity to share knowledge, learn, find mentors and expound on their talents, abilities and innovative ideas that will lead to the development of Kenya and the African region.

The involvement of community in the building of SwahiliBox
We would love to take this journey together with our technology community. This space does not belong to just us, it will belong to the community. We are currently refurbishing the space and would love to have the community also get involved.

This technology space will be right next to the Swahili Cultural Center, will be right next to Fort Jesus and will be facing the sea shore. This location will create one of the most unique experiences from all over Africa.

(The writer is the Executive Director, M-Power (CBO) and Director, Startup Grind)

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