An ambitious push to position East Africa as a global artificial intelligence powerhouse officially kicked off in Nairobi on Tuesday with the opening of the inaugural AI Everything Kenya × GITEX at the Sarit Expo Centre.
The three-day event brings together government officials, investors, innovators, policymakers and technology firms to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in Africa.
Organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, the summit is expected to shape regional conversations around AI adoption, investment, and digital sovereignty.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Philip Thigo said Africa must treat artificial intelligence as an economic and investment opportunity rather than purely a technology issue.
“Africa’s role in AI must be articulated as an investment agenda. AI is not about ICT; AI is literally AI everything,” Thigo said.
He noted that although the continent still faces challenges in AI infrastructure, connectivity, and energy, Africa possesses key resources needed to drive the global AI economy, including minerals, talent, data, and emerging compute infrastructure.
“The Silicon Savanna has come of age,” he added. “Africa is open for business, open for investment, and ready to shape the future of artificial intelligence.”
More than 400 senior executives, investors, and policymakers attended the summit, where discussions focused on how AI can transform sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, banking, cybersecurity, education, climate resilience, energy, and trade.
Speakers at the summit stressed the need for AI systems that are accessible, inclusive, and designed around African realities.
Nkundwe Mwasaga said East African countries must collaborate with global partners to strengthen digital skills, research, cybersecurity, innovation, and telecommunications infrastructure.
“The transformation of businesses, industries, and economies will lead to digital sovereignty in our region,” he said.
A key topic during the summit was how African countries can maintain control over their digital ecosystems while still participating in global technology networks.
During a panel discussion on digital sovereignty, Snehar Shah said Kenya is well-positioned to become a regional AI hub due to its regulatory framework, renewable energy potential, and growing cloud infrastructure.
“Kenya is very well positioned. We have pragmatic regulation, we have data protection frameworks, we have renewable power, and we are now bringing hyperscale cloud infrastructure into the country,” Shah said.
Technology firms also highlighted the importance of ensuring African countries maintain control over data, AI systems, and computing infrastructure.
Senthil Kumar said digital sovereignty now goes beyond where data is stored.
“It is really about who controls the data, who controls the AI, and where the compute happens,” he said.
The summit also explored how African governments can develop national AI strategies and build local capacity through research, training, and innovation.
Lourinho Chamane called for African countries to invest in local AI talent and language models to ensure digital inclusion.
“Building capacity on AI development and entrepreneurship is important for countries not to be only consumers of AI products and services, but also producers and contributors to the digital economy,” Chamane said.
Commercialisation of AI technologies was another major focus, with speakers warning that Africa risks falling behind unless local innovations move beyond pilot programmes into scalable businesses.
Winnie Mangeni said East Africa is already laying the groundwork to become a serious player in the global AI market.
“East Africa is not waiting to be a consumer of AI; it is actively building the infrastructure, talent, and policy frameworks to lead,” she said.
The event forms part of the expanding GITEX global technology network, which now hosts events across 14 countries.
Trixie LohMirmand said East Africa has the potential to become a globally competitive AI and infrastructure hub.
“AI is no longer a technology shift; we are talking about a new geopolitical and economic restructuring,” she said.
AI Everything Kenya expo is happening at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, where exhibitors and technology companies are expected to showcase AI-driven solutions across multiple sectors.
