Kamau Gachigi
Maker Movement Leader | Democratizing Innovation in Africa
About
Kamau Gachigi is a Kenyan maker movement leader who has dedicated his career to democratizing access to technology and innovation. As the founding director of Gearbox, East Africa's first makerspace, he has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs, students, and tinkerers to transform their ideas into real products.
Gachigi's work has been featured at the White House and the World Economic Forum, showcasing how grassroots makerspaces can drive inclusive development. His keynotes inspire audiences to tap into the ingenuity and problem-solving power of local communities through hands-on, community-centric approaches to technology.
Talks1
Success stories from Kenya's first makerspace
Africa needs engineers, but its engineering students often end up working at auditing firms and banks. Why? Kamau Gachigi suspects it's because they don't have the spaces and materials needed to test their ideas and start businesses. To solve this problem, Gachigi started Gearbox, a makerspace and hardware accelerator that provides a rapid prototyping environment for both professionals and people with no formal engineering background. In this forward-thinking talk, he shares some of the extraordinary projects and innovations coming out of his Kenyan fab lab.
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