From Pilot to Scale: Remote IT Talent from Kenya for German Companies
23.04.2026, 10:00-11:15h
Webinar
German companies are facing increasing pressure to secure skilled IT talents. Kenya offers a dynamic, highly qualified digital workforce. In this session, we will share insights from a two‑year pilot project by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation office in Nairobi and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. You will learn how remote collaboration works in practice and how your organization can explore, test, and scale cooperation with Kenyan IT professionals. Join us to evaluate whether this model aligns with your business model.
Programm
10:00–10:10 AM | Welcome & Objectives
- Ralf Erbel, Director East Africa Office & Global Partnership Hub, Friedrich Naumann Foundation Nairobi
Michaela Juliane Beck, Managing Director HKBiS, Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg
10:10–10:20 AM | Keynote: Stella Mokaya Orina, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Germany
“Digital Economic Partnership: Kenya & Germany in the Age of Remote Work”
10:20–10:40 AM | Study Presentation: Remote IT Talent from Kenya for German Companies / IT Services Cost Structures in Kenya
- Liliana C. Kipglan’at, Principal Consultant, Cranford Consulting Limited, Nairobi
- Kelvin Masika, Chief Information Officer, TIFA Research Ltd, Nairobi
10:40–10:50 AM | Practical Report 1: IPD Business Delegation "Digital Services & Products" of European Companies to Kenya, March 8–13, 2026 (ITO, talent platform, implementation partner)
Stefanie Simon, IPD Consultant & Advisor GBS in Africa
10:50–11:00 AM | Practical Report 2: Kenyan IT Experts for exficon GmbH
Chiara-Felicitas Otto, Managing Director, exficon GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
11:00–11:05 AM | Next Steps: How to Get Started?
Tom Pause, Managing Partner, E&P Focus Africa Consulting GmbH, Hamburg
11:05–11:15 AM | Q&A / Closing
Anmeldung
Die Registrierung ist bereits geschlossen. Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse!
Speaker
Sprecher
Stella Mokaya Orina
Ambassador @ Embassy of the Republic of Kenya to Germany
Stella Mokaya Orina is Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Germany, based in Berlin, where she is dedicated to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. She is a seasoned career diplomat with extensive experience in foreign policy, legal affairs, and international cooperation, including senior roles within Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Service Academy. Her work focuses on advancing economic partnerships, trade, and investment, as well as positioning Kenya as a leading digital hub in Africa.
Ralf Erbel
Director East Africa Office & Global Partnership Hub @ Friedrich Naumann Foundation Nairobi
Ralf Erbel is Director of the East Africa Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Nairobi. He is an economist with over 10 years of international experience in development, consulting, and non-profit management. He has worked in leadership roles across Germany, the Middle East, and Africa. His focus is on economic policy, entrepreneurship, and strengthening international cooperation.
Michaela Beck
Geschäftsführerin bei Handelskammer und HKBiS Weiterbildung gGmbH
Michaela Juliane Beck is Managing Director at HKBiS, the business development and training arm of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. She brings extensive experience in international cooperation, workforce development, and innovation ncluding work in China and West Africa. Over the past two years, she has closely accompanied the pilot project on remote IT talent between Kenya and Germany.
Lilian C. Kipglan’at
Managing Director @ Cranford Resource Group
Lilian C. Kipglan’at is Managing Director at Cranford Resource Group, focusing on global operations and service delivery. She has over 15 years of experience working with international teams across Africa and beyond. Lilian supports companies in building efficient, scalable delivery models and improving performance. She has led large teams and implemented practical solutions that strengthen operations and collaboration.
Kelvin Masika
Chief Information Officer (CIO) @ TIFA Research
Kelvin Masika is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at TIFA Research, based in Nairobi, Kenya. His work focuses on technology leadership, digital transformation, and the design of practical systems that improve organizational performance and decision-making. With experience in IT management and technology-enabled operations, he brings both strategic and applied insight into Kenya’s evolving digital talent ecosystem.
Stefanie Simon
Consultant @ Import Promotion Desk (IPD)
Stefanie Simon is an advisor for Global Business Services in Africa and currently supports the Import Promotion Desk (IPD) concerning Digital Services. She specializes in supporting European companies in IT sourcing from and market entry in African markets. Her work focuses on building sustainable business partnerships and supply chains.
Chiara-Felicitas Otto
Managing Director @ exficon GmbH
Chiara-Felicitas Otto is the Managing Director of exficon GmbH, a specialized advisory boutique for structuring and arranging tailor-made financing solutions for project and export finance transactions. The team of 20 is mostly based in Frankfurt am Main and covers 35 countries across the African continent. Over the last decade, exficon has also gained a high reputation as tender manager, especially for donor-financed projects and conducts the public tenders or evaluates as independent third party. In this context exficon is the proprietary owner of an e-procurement platform exfitender which is currently used in more than 100 countries worldwide. Some of the programming work has been outsourced to Kenya.
Tom Pause
Managing Partner @ E&P Focus Africa Consulting GmbH
Tom Pause is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of E&P Focus Africa Consulting GmbH in Hamburg, advising German and European companies on business development, market entry, and scalable business models across Africa. With over 35 years of experience in international trade, he combines strategic expertise with a strong network across business, politics, and civil society. He serves as Chairman of the Africa Working Group and is a member of the Foreign Trade Committee of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. He co-initiated the pilot project on remote IT talent between Kenya and Germany, launched in April 2024, and has closely accompanied it since, outlining practical next steps for companies in this session.
Partner
Partner
Kontakt
Jennifer Keßling
040 36138977
jennifer.kessling@handelskammer-hamburg.de
Max Stell
040 36138564
maximilian.stell@handelskammer-hamburg.de
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