Green tech no longer a future ambition but a trade revolution

Michael Kivoto on his Kithini village farm in Mutomo, Kitui County where he grows crops using climate-smart agriculture techniques to beat drought. [File, Standard]

The green transition is no longer a distant aspiration. It is a global trade revolution shaping competitive advantage, economic resilience, and cross-continental partnerships.

Today’s most urgent global challenges of energy security, climate change, waste management, and food system sustainability have transcended borders. They demand solutions that are technological, scalable and commercially viable.

From my vantage point as Enterprise Estonia’s representative in Kenya, I’ve witnessed a remarkable shift: what began as dialogue on innovation is now a movement of entrepreneurs, engineers and innovators working hand-in-hand.

Kenya and Estonia may be thousands of kilometres apart, yet our shared ambition to build efficient, low-carbon, competitive economies is firmly aligned.

Estonia is widely recognised as one of the world’s most digitally advanced economies. Its digital-first governance, transparent business environment, and strong emphasis on education have created fertile ground for a new generation of cleantech enterprises from AI energy optimisation to green hydrogen technologies.

A digitally enabled economy like Estonia’s makes exporting innovation easier: companies here now serve markets in over 120 countries worldwide across both digital and green technology sectors.

Nearly half of Estonia’s land area is forested (about 51.5 per cent as of 2023), a testament to sustainable land management and an active carbon sequestration resource.

This environmental stewardship is not merely about conservation; it is an economic imperative that nurtures a circular-economy mindset deeply embedded in Estonian industry.

Kenya’s green ambition is clearly articulated in the government’s Energy Transition and Investment Plan, which targets net-zero emissions by 2050.

The plan estimates that achieving this transition will require investments of approximately Sh78 trillion in clean energy, low-carbon infrastructure and climate resilient systems by mid-century, mobilised through a mix of public funding, private capital and international partnerships.

Kenya’s renewable energy story is one of global leadership and local opportunity. As of 2024, over 92 per cent of the country’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, with geothermal, hydro and wind powering economic growth.

This remarkable shift has enabled wider electricity access, with mini-grid and off-grid solutions reaching underserved communities, significantly expanding economic participation.

Yet progress is not without its complexities. According to the latest Energy Transition Index, Kenya’s overall transition ranking dipped in 2025, underscoring policy, investment and infrastructure gaps that must be addressed for sustainable growth.

In both Estonia and Kenya, innovation drives competitiveness and green growth is, at its core, a market opportunity. In Estonia, cleantech innovation is no longer peripheral but embedded in the national growth narrative.

Estonian firms specialising in energy storage, smart grid solutions and low-carbon industrial technologies are increasingly integrated into regional and global value chains, driven by both EU funding and private investment.

Several Estonian cleantech companies are actively exploring opportunities in Kenya, bringing practical, market-ready solutions that directly support the country’s sustainability and development goals.

One such company is Elcogen, recently recognised by TIME Magazine as one of the world’s top cleantech innovators of 2025.

Elcogen develops advanced solid electrolysers for hydrogen production, a technology with significant potential to decarbonise heavy industry, support clean energy storage and strengthen energy security as Kenya explores green hydrogen applications.

In the agri-food space, BugBox is offering insect-based protein solutions that provide a sustainable alternative to conventional animal feed and food protein.

This innovation reduces pressure on land and water resources while supporting food security and climate-smart agriculture.

Meanwhile, R8 Technologies applies artificial intelligence to optimise energy use in commercial and public buildings. By reducing energy waste and lowering operational costs, such solutions align well with Kenya’s push for energy efficiency in rapidly growing urban centres.

Addressing post-harvest challenges, GlobeDry provides advanced drying and moisture-control systems designed to significantly reduce losses in agricultural value chains.

Post-harvest losses remain a major constraint to farmer incomes and food availability across Africa, making such technologies particularly relevant for Kenya’s agribusiness sector.

These companies represent more than products; they embody partnership models.

Estonian cleantech firms are not arriving as exporters of finished goods; they are co-developers, ready to tailor solutions to local priorities, build capacity and innovate side-by-side with Kenyan partners.

This shift from standard trade to joint innovation ecosystems is where the true value of the green transition lies.

For Kenya, strategic partnerships with digitally advanced yet agile economies like Estonia can accelerate technology adoption, create jobs and expand export competitiveness.

For Estonian firms, Kenya offers a dynamic, forward-looking market that values innovation and measurable impact.

The next phase of this partnership must prioritise measurable outcomes, joint ventures, technology pilots and green investments that deliver economic and environmental returns. 

The potential is vast. Kenya and Estonia are showing the world what a cleaner, more prosperous future can look like, not as separate visions, but as shared, actionable trade opportunities that redefine what global competitiveness looks like in the 21st century.

-The writer is an export adviser at Enterprise Estonia for Kenya and Eastern Africa, helping connect Estonian and Kenyan businesses