Another African nation is positioning itself as a leader in AI innovation. Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy launched the Kenya National AI Strategy 2025–2030 (draft). This ambitious strategy aims to harness AI’s transformative power to drive sustainable development, enhance public services, and improve social and economic equity. At its core, the strategy aspires to position Kenya as the regional hub for AI research, model development, and scalable innovation tailored to the unique needs of Africa.
With a population characterised by a median age of 19 and growing digital literacy, Kenya’s youthful workforce is primed to embrace AI as a transformative force for the nation’s future. This strategy is a policy document and a roadmap to an AI-driven Kenya, ensuring that technological advancements are ethical, inclusive, and impactful.
Who does this strategy impact?
Kenya’s AI strategy is designed to bring widespread benefits across sectors and demographics:
- Government agencies: Enhanced public service delivery through AI-powered efficiency and transparency
- Private sector and startups: Opportunities to innovate, scale, and compete in global AI markets
- Academia: Increased funding and collaboration opportunities to advance AI research and develop cutting-edge solutions
- Civil society: Assurance of ethical AI practices that promote inclusivity and safeguard against misuse
- Underserved communities: Direct benefits in critical areas like healthcare, education, and agriculture, reducing inequalities and improving quality of life
The core pillars of the strategy
Kenya’s National AI strategy rests on three pillars that form the foundation for sustainable and equitable AI development.
1. AI digital infrastructure
The strategy highlights the urgent need for accessible, modernised infrastructure to support AI development and deployment. This includes:
- expanding Kenya’s fibre optic network and enhancing internet penetration beyond the current 40.8%
- upgrading existing data centres with AI-specific capabilities, such as machine learning platforms and cloud computing resources
- promoting green energy sources, like geothermal power, to create sustainable AI infrastructure and mitigate environmental impacts
2. Data ecosystem
Recognising that data is the backbone of AI, the strategy focuses on establishing a robust, sustainable ecosystem for data collection, sharing, and utilisation. This includes:
- developing frameworks for ethical data usage to address concerns over data privacy, sovereignty, and potential misuse
- digitising government records to ensure availability and quality of localised datasets
- encouraging public-private collaborations to create shared datasets for research and innovation
3. AI research and innovation
Kenya aims to become a global leader in AI model development by fostering local innovation and R&D ecosystems. Key initiatives include:
- establishing AI research hubs to tackle challenges unique to Africa, such as food security, healthcare, and financial inclusion
- supporting the development of natural language processing (NLP) models for Kenya’s rich linguistic diversity, enabling AI applications in local languages
- promoting innovations in computer vision, especially for applications like crop disease detection and medical imaging analysis
Cross-cutting enablers: governance, talent, investment, and ethics
Beyond the core pillars, Kenya’s strategy is bolstered by four critical enablers:
1. Governance
A dynamic legal and regulatory framework is essential to guide AI deployment while ensuring transparency, public accountability, and ethical use. The strategy emphasises:
- creating AI-specific laws and policies to address risks like bias, discrimination, and data misuse
- developing agile governance frameworks to adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities in the AI space
2. Talent development
Kenya plans to build a digitally skilled workforce to support AI research, innovation, and adoption. Key measures include:
- integrating AI literacy into primary, secondary, and higher education curricula
- expanding STEM education to address the AI talent gap, with a focus on women and underrepresented groups
- partnering with industry leaders to offer specialised AI training and mentorship programmes
3. Investment
A thriving AI ecosystem requires substantial investment from both public and private sources. The strategy aims to:
- incentivise foreign direct investment in AI infrastructure and startups
- mobilise local venture capital to support homegrown AI innovations
- establish partnerships between the government, private sector, and academia to share costs and risks associated with AI projects
4. Ethics, equity, and inclusion
Ethical AI development is a cornerstone of Kenya’s strategy. To ensure AI benefits everyone, the strategy prioritises:
- addressing the digital divide by making AI tools and technologies accessible to rural and marginalised communities
- creating frameworks to mitigate bias and ensure that AI systems respect human rights
- promoting AI solutions that align with Kenya’s cultural values and societal norms
Addressing challenges
While the strategy outlines an ambitious vision, it also recognises the challenges that must be addressed to ensure success:
- Data privacy and sovereignty: Public concerns over data misuse and extractive practices by big tech companies
- Infrastructure gaps: Limited digitisation of government records and inadequate 5G penetration
- Talent shortages: A significant gap between the demand for AI skills and the availability of qualified professionals
- Public trust: Concerns about AI ethics, bias, and misuse for surveillance, highlighting the need for transparent governance
How ITLawCo can help
ITLawCo is at the forefront of navigating the complex intersection of technology, law, and public policy. We offer tailored solutions to support Kenya in realising its AI vision:
- Developing legal frameworks: We assist governments in drafting AI-specific regulations that address governance, ethics, and accountability while promoting innovation.
- Ensuring data privacy compliance: ITLawCo helps organisations align with Kenya’s Data Protection Act, international standards like GDPR, and emerging AI governance principles.
- Risk management and audits: We provide AI system evaluations to identify risks like bias, data misuse, and compliance gaps, ensuring ethical and responsible AI deployment.
- Capacity building and training: Through workshops, e-learning, and customised training sessions, we empower policymakers, legal professionals, and businesses with the knowledge to navigate AI’s complexities.
- Public-private collaboration: We facilitate partnerships to align private innovation with public accountability, ensuring a balanced approach to AI development.