Slovenia in Kenya for a Water-Secure Future
31. 5. 2025
In late May 2025, the Director of CMSR concluded an official visit to Kenya. Together with partners from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovenian company SPACE-SI, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, he marked a significant milestone in Slovenia’s development assistance in the field of sustainable water resource management on the African continent.
During the visit the official opening of KONDUIT – an innovative installation within the Slovenian project led by CMSR in collaboration with SPACE-SI and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) – took place. The installation was created by Slovenian artist Eva Petrič. The installation is the first of the technological solutions in the project "Satellite Data and Digital Twin Models to support Management of Transboundary River Basins in Kenya" to use satellite images (Sentinel, Nemo-HD) and create digital twins of ecosystems to monitor and manage water resources in Kenya. Using advanced digital models, the project enables detailed monitoring of the state of water, soil, vegetation and infrastructure in key river basins (Omo, Mara, Lumi, Dawa, Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana), providing better decision-making based on objective and up-to-date data.
At the invitation of the President of Kenya, His Excellency Dr William Samoei Ruto, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, attended the official inauguration. This was the first Slovenian presidential visit to Kenya, where the main topics of discussion between the two presidents were climate resilience, Africa's role in global governance, and specific joint projects, one of which is the Slovenian-Kenyan development programme for digital monitoring of water resources.
More information about the project:
https://www.cmsr.si/mma/-/2024051514033087/
Kenya is facing major environmental challenges – 85% of the country is arid or semi-arid, and a third of its water resources are located outside its borders. Climate change is causing increasingly severe droughts and floods, which have a significant impact on agriculture, which accounts for 22% of GDP and employs 75% of the labour force. Slovenia is once again demonstrating its commitment to innovative solutions for sustainable development in the international arena by sharing its expertise.
The Republic of Slovenia implements international development cooperation in developing countries, primarily in priority areas:
• Western Balkans;
• European neighbourhood;
• Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on the least developed countries.
Media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXValTgDp5A
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