Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has initiated discussions with the National Securities Exchange (NSE) aimed at establishing a partnership on market data sharing. The partnership is envisaged to be beneficial to students as they undertake research.
Speaking during the meeting held on July 1, 2019, the NSE, Chief Executive, Mr. Geoffrey Odundo, said as a public institution that provides a platform for the Kenyan government to raise money as well as citizens to own property,” NSE would be instrumental in equipping JKUAT students with financial market information that would build the capacity of students to be good investors.
The Chief Executive further reported that NSE had received numerous requests on data particularly relating to capital markets from students in institutions of higher learning and that had impelled them to re-orient their position in providing authentic and reliable NSE data at affordable rates which would be actualized once the partnership is realized.
NSE Information Technology Senior Manager, Joseph Gichuru noted that once the partnership is in place, the JKUAT researchers would have access to boundless amounts of capital data essential for data collection phase of their work. “This partnership will also enhance the University’s attractiveness to the investors and hence more funding and other opportunities beneficial to university’s cause,” he concluded.
Speaking on behalf of the JKUAT Vice Chancellor, the Principal, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (COANRE), Prof. David Mburu, said, the partnership to be actualized through the School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT), would stimulate deeper links with the industry players, adding the University was keen to collaborate with institutions that “understand its role in the society such as NSE, to propel its core mandate in training and research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Research is vital in improving the system of any learning institution, Prof. Mburu asserted. “The partnership would also revitalize big data handling, while enhancing the students’ ability to identify available opportunity gaps for exploitation.”
SCIT Director, Dr. Michael Kimwele termed the partnership proposal “a step in the right direction,” and welcomed the collaboration discussions with an organization that seeks to nurture students holistically, shaping them to play effective roles as they transition into the job market.
“The partnership, once in place, will ensure students and researchers are provided with fact-based information relevant in their various areas of research,” Dr. Kimwele state.
