Kenya grants just 5 days for feedback on AI strategy
Kenya's government gives public 5 days to comment on new national AI strategy
#Kenya #AIstrategy - Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and The Digital Economy set a tight deadline for public consultation on its draft National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy 2025-2030 this week giving the public until Sunday to comment. The national strategy aspires to position Kenya as Africa’s leading AI hub, leveraging advanced technologies for sustainable development, economic empowerment, and social inclusion. Key focuses include modernising AI infrastructure, fostering ethical practices, and building a talent pipeline, all aimed at addressing national challenges such as healthcare, agriculture, and public service delivery.
SO WHAT? - Kenya’s AI strategy reflects its ambition to lead Africa’s digital transformation, leveraging its relatively high level of digital literacy and growth in tech talent. The draft national AI strategy shared this week also identifies an urgent need to regulate AI in the country and will form a task force to identify risks and key issues. The government has taken steps to include expert and public opinion throughout the development of the strategy via one-to-one meetings, ‘town halls’ and focus groups. Nevertheless, the five days given to review the 21,000-word document is a short one. In comparison, South Africa recently allowed 15 days for its latest consultation period regarding its National AI Policy Framework.
Some key points regarding the draft AI strategy:
The National AI Steering Committee of the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Digital Economy announced on Tuesday January 14th that the new draft National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy 2025-2030 has been published for public consultation.
The deadline for public comment has been set for Sunday, January 19th. The government has called on stakeholders, academia, and citizens to contribute views, comments and recommendations to help shape the strategy.
The new national strategy aims to position Kenya as Africa’s premier AI hub for innovation, focusing on local challenges and global competitiveness.
The document sets out to address the following key issues and requirements: Labour Disruptions and Economic Impact; Digital Divide and Inclusive Development; Data Sovereignty and Privacy; Ethical AI, Human Rights and the Promotion of Public Trust; Regulatory Preparedness; Local Innovation and Competitiveness; Public Sector Efficiency and Service Delivery; and Sustainable (AI) Development.
The strategy’s three pillars are: AI Digital Infrastructure, Data (a robust and sustainable data ecosystem), and AI Research and Innovation. It will support Kenya’s key industry sectors including agriculture, security, healthcare, education, and public service delivery.
A task force will be set up as a matter of urgency to identify risks and issues that should be addressed by government AI regulations. Governance frameworks will ensure fairness, transparency, and inclusivity in AI deployment.
Partnerships with academia aim to build an AI-ready workforce and tackle Kenya’s STEM skill gap, whilst public-private partnerships and attracting local and global investment will be critical for infrastructure development.
Public comment is requested via the email address: aistrategy(at)ict(dot)go(dot)ke no later than Sunday 19th January 2025 using the following template:
ZOOM OUT - According to a recent report from Google and UK-based Public First, AI could help add $2.4 billion to the Kenyan economy by 2030. This claim seems to be supported by the level of global interest in Kenya’s technology sector. Last year, the UAE government, the US government, Microsoft Corp. and Abu Dhabi-based G42 announced plans for the largest single private-sector digital investment in Kenya’s history, supporting economic development across East Africa. The initial investment of $1 billion will include 1 Gigawatts of data centre capacity and a new Microsoft Azure East Africa Cloud Region. Therefore Kenya’s National AI Strategy must not only provide a practical guide to the country’s AI development, adoption and regulation, it must also inspire confidence locally and globally to support such investments.
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Read more about Kenya’s technology sector:
Kenya to get $1 billion investment boost in Microsoft-G42 deal (Africa AI News)