Dr. Tonny K. Omwansa holds a PhD in Information Systems and is a faculty member at the School of Computing and Informatics, University of Nairobi. He is the co-author of the book “Money, Real Quick: Kenya’s Disruptive Mobile Money Innovation”.
Besides teaching, he coordinates the innovation activities at the University of Nairobi, including running startups accelerator (TUMI Startup Accelerator and an upcoming CISCO Edge Accelerator), overseeing the annual Nairobi Innovation Week, which he founded in 2015 and designing innovation courses. He is also the founding Director of the C4DLab, the innovation and incubation lab of the University of Nairobi.
Through Nairobi Innovation Week, over the last four years, Dr. Omwansa has mobilized over 50 local partners from private sector, government, development agencies and academia to enhance the local innovation ecosystem. The Nairobi Innovation Week was graced by the HE the President of the Republic of Kenya and has since then grown into a national pride with participation from several other countries.
As part of his focus on startup movement, Dr. Omwansa founded NIW.Startups in 2018 which pulls together hundreds of startups that compete and prepare to pitch at the close of the Nairobi Innovation Week. Other initiatives he has founded include the C4DLab, University of Nairobi Innovation Fellowship, TUMI Startup Accelerator and is considered as one of the most prolific scholars at the University of Nairobi.
Dr. Omwansa has conducted extensive research and consulting work on ICT, Innovation, financial inclusion, mobile transactions and information systems in various countries resulting in numerous products, publications and reports. His research interests are in the design, adoption and impact of innovative low-cost appropriate technologies in developing countries and how private sector, through startups contribute towards solutions in challenging societies in the region.