Kenya Hosts Major AI Summit as State Pushes for Tech Investment

Kenya, 21 May 2026 - Kenya has hosted one of Africa’s biggest artificial intelligence conferences as the government steps up efforts to position the country as a leading technology and digital investment hub on the continent.

The three-day Ai Everything GITEX Kenya conference, running from 19-21 May, has brought together more than 15,000 technology executives, investors, innovators and policymakers from over 75 countries.

The event focuses on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, smart cities, health technology and cloud computing, with delegates exploring opportunities for digital transformation and investment across Africa.

Addressing participants the ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary John Tanui said Kenya had laid the groundwork to emerge as a regional technology powerhouse.

“We have laid the necessary infrastructure as a nation to ensure that Kenya thrives as a leading tech hub in the continent and the world,” Mr Tanui said.

“We have laid eight sub-sea cables, and through support from the World Bank we have the Horn of Africa Gateway Connectivity project that seeks to connect Kenya with Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan and Somalia,” he added.

The PS said the government’s digitisation drive had significantly expanded access to public services through the e-Citizen platform.

“As a country, we have over 22,000 services that are available serving more than 14.5 million e-Citizen account holders,” he said.

Mr Tanui noted that Kenya was also strengthening its policy and governance frameworks to support responsible adoption of artificial intelligence.

He said the Ministry launched the Kenya National AI Strategy 2025–2030 in March last year to guide the country’s ambitions in ethical AI governance, data infrastructure and talent development.

“The Ministry is now working on the data governance framework, which is a key foundation for AI,” he said.

The PS added that the government was partnering with universities and higher learning institutions to expand AI skills and research capacity.

“Just last week the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was awarded a charter. The institute will be driving our research and is modelled after the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology,” he said.

Mr Tanui said the government would continue collaborating with local and international partners to support innovation and nurture technology startups.

“As a ministry, we are proud and we take this as one of the important events in our sector, and you have the support of our ministry and our leadership,” he said.

The conference was attended by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Kenya’s Tech Envoy Philip Thigo, ICT Authority chief executive Jesse Maruti and GITEX Global chief executive Trixie Loh Mirmand.

Kenya has increasingly positioned itself as East Africa’s “Silicon Savannah”, attracting global technology firms, startup incubators and investors seeking to tap into the continent’s growing digital economy.