East Africa has launched a new push to position itself at the centre of the global artificial intelligence race following the opening of AI Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya in Nairobi.
The three-day summit, which opened on Monday at the Sarit Expo Centre, has brought together government officials, technology firms, investors and policy experts to discuss how the region can build its own AI infrastructure, talent and digital economy.
The event is organised by GITEX in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology in Kenya.
Speaking during the opening session, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology Philip Thigo, said Africa must approach 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.
“The Silicon Savanna has come of age,” he said, adding that Kenya now has an opportunity to extend the momentum created by the mobile money revolution into AI-driven industries and innovation.
The summit has attracted more than 400 executives, investors and policymakers from across Africa and beyond, with discussions focusing on how AI can transform sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, banking, education, trade and energy.
Officials and industry leaders repeatedly stressed the need for African AI systems to reflect local realities and priorities instead of relying entirely on imported technologies.
Director General of the Tanzania ICT Commission Nkundwe Mwasaga said East African countries must work together to strengthen digital skills, cybersecurity, research and telecommunications infrastructure if the region is to achieve digital sovereignty.
Panel discussions also focused on the growing importance of controlling data, cloud infrastructure and computing power as AI adoption accelerates globally.
Chief Executive Officer of iXAfrica Data Centres Snehar Shah said Kenya is positioning itself as a regional AI hub due to its renewable energy capacity, expanding cloud infrastructure and data protection regulations.
“We have really set the fundamentals to make AI available locally for enterprises and consumers,” Shah said.
Technology firms also argued that African countries must avoid becoming only consumers of AI products.
Chairman of Mozambique’s National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies Lourinho Chamane said African nations should invest in local-language AI models and train specialists in sectors such as agriculture, health and tourism.
The commercialisation of African-built AI solutions also emerged as a major theme at the summit.
Founder and CEO of PAWA AI Winnie Mangeni said East Africa is already building the infrastructure, policy frameworks and talent required to lead AI development on the continent.
She said the next phase will require stronger collaboration between investors, developers and policymakers to scale African AI products for global markets.
The Nairobi summit marks the latest expansion of the global GITEX technology events network, which now operates across 14 countries.
Chief Executive Officer of GITEX organiser Trixie LohMirmand said East Africa has the potential to become a globally competitive AI and infrastructure powerhouse if it continues investing in cloud computing, research and talent development.
The summit continues this week with the AI Everything Kenya Expo at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, where companies and startups are expected to showcase AI products and infrastructure solutions targeting African markets.
