Digital & AI Learning Lab
- Inside
- Used by
- Earns from
Utange, Mombasa. Opening May 2027
Five containers. One launchpad.
A technology, climate and enterprise hub in Utange, Mombasa, where young people learn, prototype and launch.
AI concept visualisation for illustration. Final design follows the Phase 1 architectural and structural assessment.
5
repurposed 40 ft high-cube containers
5
specialist zones, one per container
~140 m²
of labs, plus an open public commons
3
learner cohorts, from age 7 to working professionals
May 2027
target opening of the flagship
Talent is everywhere in Mombasa. The pathway is not.
Young people on the coast have ideas and drive, but the tools, space, mentors and markets they need sit in different places, or nowhere at all.
"The challenge is not simply unemployment or lack of technology. It is the absence of an integrated ecosystem that connects skills, technology, innovation, enterprise and community impact."
SAVIT concept note, 2026
291,930
people live in Kisauni, Mombasa's most populous sub-county, which the county itself says has "inadequate social amenities".
KNBS 2019 census, via Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027
44%
of Mombasa's 1.2 million residents are aged 15 to 35: about 529,000 young people.
KNBS 2019 census, via Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027
1 in 4
young Kenyan women aged 15 to 24 is not in education, employment or training (24.6%, against 18.5% for all youth).
ILO modelled estimates, World Bank WDI, 2021
5%
of the 1,000 tonnes of waste Mombasa generates each day is recycled. Only 600 tonnes are collected.
Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027
Affordable technology and internetPractical digital skillsAI, coding and robotics equipmentInnovation and maker spacesBusiness incubationMentors and networksCreative production facilitiesClimate educationStartup supportMarket opportunitiesSafe, productive community space
One building for the whole journey, from first line of code to first customer.
Most hubs cover one step. SAVIT puts every step under one roof, so nobody has to leave the building to take the next one.
Learn
Coding, AI, cyber, design and digital business in the Academy lab.
Create
Turn a community problem into an idea worth testing.
Test
Prototype in the Makerspace and Eco-Print Lab.
Build
Mentored product and business development.
Launch
Pitch nights, market days and first customers.
Scale
Partners, finance and markets beyond the coast.
Impact
Jobs, income, cleaner neighbourhoods, measured.
A young person can walk in to learn coding, move into an AI or robotics programme, build an idea in the makerspace, get mentored, prototype it, enter an innovation challenge and leave with a business. That continuous pathway is what the Hub is for.
The building
An L of five containers around a public commons.
The steel is left visible on purpose. It says what the Hub does: take what already exists and turn it into what a community needs next. Select a container to look inside.
Indicative massing for discussion. Container positions, cantilevers and the stair core will be fixed by the Phase 1 structural assessment.
Ventilated solar fly roof
A 20 kWp array with battery storage on a raised roof that shades the steel and feeds the tanks.
Rainwater harvesting
Two 10,000 litre tanks with first-flush filters for cleaning, toilets and planting.
Passive cooling
Long axes run east to west, openings catch the Kaskazi and Kusi monsoon winds, and mineral-wool insulation keeps rooms cool.
Built for salt air
Marine-grade ISO 12944 coatings, galvanised new steel and a funded annual inspection.
Step-free access
Ramps, a platform lift and an accessible WC, in line with the Persons with Disabilities Act 2025.
A building that reports
Energy, water and waste sub-metering plus a weather station feed the public impact dashboard.
Underneath, a public square for the coast.
The space under and inside the L stays open. It turns the Hub from a training centre into a platform the whole neighbourhood uses, and it is where partners meet the people they fund.
SAVIT Expo
Annual technology, innovation and sustainability exhibition.
SAVIT Youth Summit
Young innovators meet policymakers, investors and partners.
Women in Tech and Business
Skills, mentorship and market access for women and girls.
Climate and Tech Days
Public demos linking climate literacy with working solutions.
Community Markets
Young makers and creatives sell what they build.
Innovation Showcases
Robotics, AI and climate-tech projects shown in public.
AI concept visualisation for illustration.
SAVIT Global Academy, in three cohorts.
The Hub is the Academy's flagship campus. Every course is practical and project-based, and each cohort feeds the next stage of the pipeline.
7 to 17
Children and teens
- Coding and digital creativity
- Robotics and STEM
- AI for young learners
- Innovation challenges
- Holiday technology camps
18 to 35
Youth
- Software development and data
- AI and cybersecurity
- Digital marketing and freelancing
- Startup development
- Climate-tech innovation
Adults
Professionals and SMEs
- Digital transformation
- AI productivity
- Cybersecurity awareness
- Business technology
- Professional digital skills
A typical week at the Hub
An indicative timetable showing how five zones and the commons stay in use from school hours to evenings. Utilisation is what makes the model pay.
| Time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | School lab visitsJunior school, term time | Corporate trainingAI productivity | School lab visitsJunior school | Corporate trainingCyber awareness | School lab visitsSenior STEM | SAVIT Tech SaturdaysCoding and robotics, 7 to 17 |
| 10:00 | Youth bootcampSoftware and data | Youth bootcampSoftware and data | Youth bootcampCybersecurity | Youth bootcampCybersecurity | Green Innovators LabMakerspace | SAVIT Startup LabIncubation clinic |
| 14:00 | Digital marketingand freelancing | Eco-Print open studioMakers, members | AI for AfricaApplied AI | Eco-Print open studioMakers, members | Mentor office hoursStartups | Community Tech ClinicFree or subsidised |
| 16:00 | Robotics ClubAfter school | Coding ClubAfter school | Robotics ClubAfter school | Girls CodeAfter school | Waste Bridge DayMonthly, commons | Community marketCommons |
| 18:00 | Evening courseProfessionals | Women in TechMentorship circle | Evening courseProfessionals | Women in BusinessDigital business | Pitch night or eventVenue hire |
Children and teens
Youth
Adults and corporate
Making
Enterprise
Community
Eight stages from a local problem to a company.
Every learner starts from a real problem in their community. The funnel narrows on purpose: fewer, stronger ventures leave the building with customers, mentors and partners.
Year 3 volumes from the concept review's capacity model: 80% utilisation of five containers and the commons. Indicative.
Waste Bridge makes the loop physical.
Mombasa's own development plan says its digital waste-collection platform "could not be implemented due to lack of technical personnel in ICT". Waste Bridge is built for exactly that gap, and the Hub trains the people to run it.
Since November 2024, every producer and importer in Kenya must prove what happens to its packaging, reporting collected and recycled volumes to NEMA and to counties each year. Most of Mombasa's plastic is recovered by informal collectors who produce no data. Waste Bridge is designed to log, verify and connect that supply to buyers, and the Eco-Print Lab turns part of it into products and income.
Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022EPR Regulations 2024 (LN 176)Mombasa Climate Change PolicyKenya NDC: 35% by 2035
Sources: Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027; Sustainable Waste Management (EPR) Regulations 2024; SEI plastics value-chain study, 2022.
Not a computer centre. Not a co-working space.
The Hub earns its place by joining seven things that usually live apart. That integration is the product.
| Capability | SAVIT Hub | Computer or cyber centre | Co-working space | Typical tech hub | Makerspace or fablab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technologysoftware, AI, robotics, cyber | |||||
| Educationstructured Academy cohorts, age 7 up | |||||
| Climateliteracy, green tech, living building | |||||
| Circular economyWaste Bridge, recycling, upcycling | |||||
| Entrepreneurshipincubation, mentors, market access | |||||
| Communityopen commons, markets, events | |||||
| ProductionEco-Print, fabrication, media studio |
01 Services
SAVIT Global Solutions
Technology services and digital transformation.
02 Skills
SAVIT Global Academy
Future-ready learning for every age.
03 Place
SAVIT Tech Community Hub
The physical home that connects it all.
04 Making
Makerspace + Eco-Print
Prototyping and small-batch production.
05 Environment
Waste Bridge + climate
Circular-economy and climate solutions.
06 Enterprise
Startup incubation
Businesses and jobs.
07 Partners
Strategic partnerships
Government, private sector, universities, development partners.
08 Outcome
Scale and impact
A replicable model beyond Mombasa.
Why Mombasa, why Utange, why now.
Policy is already pointing here
Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027Commits to ward ICT hubs with free Wi-Fi, a business innovation and incubation hub, 10 incubated startups and 100 ICT internships a year. SAVIT can deliver these as a county partner.
Digital Superhighway and JitumeA national target of one digital hub in each of 1,450 wards, with about 290 operating by May 2026.
Competency-Based Education49% of Kenya's first Senior School cohort, about 512,000 learners, entered the STEM pathway in 2026. Most schools lack the labs to match.
Kenya AI Strategy 2025-2030Talent development and inclusion are named enablers, which fits a public AI lab.
Extended Producer Responsibility, 2024Producers now need verifiable collection and recycling data, every year.
Utange sits on Mombasa's north mainland in Kisauni, home to 291,930 people and to Mwakirunge, the county's main dumpsite. Most hub activity is on Mombasa Island. Our desk review found no public makerspace with digital fabrication anywhere on the Coast.
Who is already here, and how SAVIT fits
Swahilipot Hub
Refer and partnerMombasa's anchor youth tech and creative hub, with 4,000+ members mentored by 2023. SAVIT adds making, fabrication and a north-mainland site.
Pwani Teknowgalz
Co-deliverGirls' and young women's STEM, reaching 6,000+ since 2016. A natural co-host for Women in Tech and girls' camps.
Jitume and Ajira centres
Seek designationNational online-work hubs. SAVIT can apply to be the Kisauni ward hub for devices, connectivity and sponsored seats.
Private kids' coding academies
ComplementPaid classes for families who can afford them. SAVIT adds lab-as-a-service for public schools and bursary places.
County ICT and incubation plans
Delivery partnerBudgeted in the CIDP, with delivery still open. A county MoU is a stronger ask than a grant.
Sources: Mombasa CIDP 2023-2027; The Star, 15 May 2026; Daily Nation, 21 Dec 2025; Imaginable Futures, 2023; Pwani Teknowgalz. Full list in the research annex.
Investment case
Built to earn, not only to receive.
A blended model: earned revenue from learning, space and services, backed by partners while the Hub ramps, with grant dependency falling each year.
Learning
Children's clubs and holiday camps, school lab-as-a-service packages, adult short courses and corporate training for the port, logistics, hotel and county workforce.
KES 2.0M in Year 1, rising to 4.6M in Year 3
Space and membership
Community membership, co-working desks and day passes, meeting rooms, and commons hire for events and markets.
KES 1.1M in Year 1, rising to 2.7M in Year 3
Services and production
Studio and digital production, SAVIT technology consultancy, 3D printing and prototyping, incubation fees and Eco-Print product sales.
KES 0.9M in Year 1, rising to 3.1M in Year 3
Contributed income, reported separately
Container naming sponsorships, programme grants, CSR and challenge prizes carry the gap while earned revenue ramps up. They are never counted as earned.
How running costs are covered, Years 1 to 3
Mid case, KES millions. Earned revenue grows from 26% to 58% of costs.
Earned revenue
Container naming sponsors
Grants and CSR
Running costs are KES 15.6M in Year 1 and rise 7% a year. Staff are 63% of cost. For context, AfriLabs found in 2019 that 60% of African hubs depend on donor funding and over 110 had closed. That is why earned revenue is designed in from day one.
Test the model yourself
Move the sliders to see how much of the Hub's running costs earned revenue covers. Prices are set at 20 to 35% of Nairobi rates to suit the Utange catchment.
- Earned revenue per month
- -
- Earned revenue per year
- -
- Share of running costs covered (Year 1 costs, KES 15.6M)
- -
- Gap for sponsors and grants
- -
KES 1,500 a month, 10 months a year
KES 4,000 per child per camp
KES 120,000 a year per lab-as-a-service package
KES 8,000 per short course
KES 70,000 per group day
KES 2,400 a year, bursary members free
KES 3,500 a month
KES per month: production, consultancy, printing, room and commons hire
Build, equip and run the flagship for 18 months.
KES 60.7MAbout USD 469,000, mid case (range USD 285k to 725k)
Raised in two tranches. Tranche 1 builds and equips the Hub (KES 44.4M including a 15% contingency). Tranche 2 is an 18-month operating runway, net of earned revenue (KES 16.4M). The full three-year catalytic need is KES 72.9M (USD 563k).
Indicative desk estimate at KES 129.48 to the US dollar (CBK, 24 Sep 2026). Excludes land. Replaced by a quantity surveyor's bill of quantities in Phase 1.
From KES 20M
Founding Partner
Anchor Tranche 1 and open the flagship with us. For a foundation, a development partner or a corporate group.
- Co-branding of the Hub for the flagship period
- Observer seat on the Hub advisory board
- First access to impact data and the replication plan
KES 1M a year, 3 years
Container Partner
Put your name on one of the five zones and shape its programme.
- Zone naming rights
- Programme co-design
- Staff volunteering and quarterly reports
Sized per programme
Programme Partner
Fund a youth cohort, a camp season, a Women in Tech academy or a bursary pool for Kisauni schools.
- Named cohort or season
- Tracer outcomes for your learners
In kind or asset finance
Equipment and Finance Partner
Laptops, printers, studio kit, connectivity or solar, or concessional finance for revenue-earning equipment repaid from those lines.
- Showcase in a working lab
- Repayment from earned revenue
Partner tiers are indicative and will be agreed with each partner. Grants and sponsorships are reported separately from earned revenue.
Eight months from funding to opening day.
Containers are converted off site while approvals, programmes and partnerships run in parallel. That is how a May 2027 opening stays realistic.
What we will measure, and publish.
Targets are sized from the building's real capacity. Progress will be reported through a live dashboard, quarterly reports and beneficiary stories.
Youth and adults trained (32+ hours)
350Year 1
520Year 3
Children aged 7 to 17 reached
1,500Year 1
3,000Year 3
Women among learners trained
50%+Year 1
50%+Year 3
In work or earning 6 months after training
50%Year 1
65%Year 3
Startups incubated
8Year 1
16Year 3
Working prototypes (25%+ climate)
40Year 1
80Year 3
Partner schools with a signed MoU
8Year 1
20Year 3
Community members engaged
3,000Year 1
5,700Year 3
Targets assume 55% utilisation in Year 1 (May 2027 to April 2028) and 80% in Year 3. Outcomes are tracked by learner ID, with tracer surveys at 90 and 180 days. Children appear only as aggregates, never by name or face.
4Quality education
8Decent work and growth
9Industry, innovation, infrastructure
11Sustainable communities
12Responsible production
13Climate action
17Partnerships for the goals
Concept review
Six expert lenses, applied before any money moves.
The concept note was stress-tested across six disciplines, using desk research on Kenyan prices, policy and outcome evidence. Each lens gives a verdict and the conditions it attaches. Those conditions are built into Phase 1.
Architecture and structures
A stacked L is buildable if every opening gets a welded steel frame, containers stack corner-on-corner and the cantilever is engineered and peer-reviewed.
Condition: a 2.35 m wide container fits one row of desks. Test a double-width Digital Lab or a shaded veranda extension before the design is frozen.
Climate and building physics
Mombasa averages 27.9°C and peaks at 33.1°C in February, and salt air corrodes weathering steel. Unshaded steel boxes would be unusable.
Condition: a ventilated fly roof over all five containers, ISO 12944 C4/C5 coatings, piers 450 to 600 mm high and cross-ventilation to the monsoon winds.
Circular economy and policy
The county names the gap Waste Bridge fills, and the 2024 EPR rules create producers who must pay for verified data. Raw plastic sells for only KES 10 to 27 a kilo.
Condition: earn from services, data and products, not commodity margins. Sign pilot MoUs with a producer responsibility organisation and the county.
Education and enterprise
CBE creates structural demand for practical STEM, and global meta-analyses show project-based learning lifts achievement (d = 0.71). The evidence for makerspaces in Africa is thin, which makes the Hub's own measured results valuable.
Condition: run schools as lab-as-a-service, select incubatees from the Hub's own pipeline and publish 180-day outcomes with response rates.
Impact finance
Covering 26% of costs from earned revenue in Year 1 and 58% by Year 3 beats most African hubs. That depends on B2B lines: schools, corporate training, production and consultancy.
Condition: get quotes from two or three Mombasa fabricators, secure a registered lease of 10+ years and sell container partnerships before opening.
Safeguarding and compliance
Children, adults, machines and waste pickers' data share one site. That is manageable with the right controls, and investors will check it.
Condition: register with the Data Protection Commissioner, run a DPIA for Waste Bridge, require DCI clearance for all staff, provide PWD Act 2025 access and file one NEMA EIA covering the Eco-Print Lab.
Top risks and how they are managed
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat and humidity make steel rooms unusable | High | High | Fly roof with ventilated gap, reflective finishes, correct vapour control, fans first, air-conditioning only in the lab and network rooms, thermal model before design freeze. |
| Approvals slip past the May 2027 opening | Medium | High | County pre-application meeting now; submit as a permanent building under the National Building Code 2024; allow 4 to 6 months; fabricate off site in parallel. |
| Earned revenue lands below plan | Medium | High | Diversified B2B lines, container partners sold pre-opening, a 3-year programme grant, and costs held to plan until contracts land. A 30% volume shortfall still gives about 41% cover in Year 3. |
| Structural issues from openings and the cantilever | Medium | High | Engineer registered with the Engineers Board of Kenya, geotechnical survey, peer-reviewed cantilever, controlled-yard fabrication. |
| Salt-air corrosion shortens building life | High | Medium | ISO 12944 C4/C5 coating system, galvanised new steel, sealed cut edges, annual inspection budget. |
| EPR demand for Waste Bridge data arrives late | Medium | High | Serve county reporting and producer compliance from one platform; pilot MoUs first; keep the burn rate low. |
| Harm to children in a mixed-age space | Medium | High | Safeguarding lead, DCI clearance, two-adult rule, children kept apart from machines and adults in time and space, vision panels in every door. |
| Land tenure or neighbour objections | Medium | Medium | Registered lease of 10+ years before building; clean, sorted feedstock only, stored closed; community advisory group with Utange residents. |
Read the full research annex, with sources for every figure on this page.
Mombasa first. Then a network.
The flagship is the prototype. Once the model is proven, the same five-container kit can be adapted to other counties' needs.
2027
Mombasa
Flagship hub and proof of model.
Next
Kenya
A county innovation network.
Then
East Africa
A regional innovation ecosystem.
Long term
Africa
A pan-African technology and sustainability network.
Learn. Create. Innovate. Build. Transform.
Help build the flagship.
Put your name on a container, fund a programme, supply equipment or co-invest in the model. We will share the full investment pack, the Phase 1 bill of quantities and the impact framework.
SAVIT Global Solutions Limited
Proposed site: Utange, Barawa area, Kisauni, Mombasa