Client Briefing Session: Industry Partners Collaborate with Fellows to Tackle Real-World Challenges

Last Friday, May 16, 2025, the University of Nairobi innovation fellows gathered at the C4DLab for a crucial Client Briefing Session, hosted by the C4DLab team, which played a central role in facilitating discussions, structuring the session, and ensuring a productive exchange. Led by facilitator Peter Okech and operations officer Charles Katua, C4DLab provided a structured environment for industry partners to articulate their challenges, allowing fellows to gain clarity and prepare for the next stages of solution development. Representatives from Tana River Development Authority (TARDA) and Britam East Africa presented pressing challenges requiring innovative interventions.

Carolyne Kariuki, representing Britam East Africa, discussed the organization’s ongoing efforts to maintain the integrity of insurance claims, a key issue in financial services. Britam has been leveraging its Beta Lab, an innovation hub dedicated to advancing Insurtech and FinTech solutions, to address systemic inefficiencies and drive transformation.

TARDA’s team—Regina Kahutia, Denis Kiyeng, and Engineer Aisha—highlighted the devastating effects of climate change, particularly flooding and prolonged drought, which disrupt water management and agriculture.

The C4DLab team guided the discussions, ensuring that the fellows could pose targeted questions that helped clarify industry concerns. Their expert facilitation ensured a smooth and engaging exchange, equipping fellows with critical insights needed to develop practical, scalable solutions.

This latest session builds on previous engagements. The Innovation Fellowship, which launched on April 30, is a three-month initiative designed to foster problem-solving and sustainable innovation. In a key session on May 8, fellows formed multidisciplinary teams to tackle Britam’s TARDA’s challenges, mapping existing workflows to ensure solutions are well-defined and actionable. With C4DLab’s leadership in hosting and structuring these engagements, the fellowship is now fully underway, driving toward evidence-based, industry-relevant and community-driven solutions.