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Kenya is preparing to host one of the continent’s most ambitious technology gatherings as AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA makes its debut in Nairobi next week, positioning East Africa at the centre of conversations around artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, innovation, and investment.
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Scheduled to hold from May 19 to 21, 2026, the three-day conference is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, global technology firms, startups, regulators, researchers, and innovators from across Africa and beyond to explore how AI can be deployed to solve some of the continent’s biggest challenges.
Organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, the event arrives at a time when Africa’s AI ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth and increasing international attention.
The conference will be split across two venues in Nairobi. The Inclusive AI Everything Summit takes place on May 19 at the Sarit Expo Centre, while the AI EVERYTHING KENYA EXPO will continue from May 20 to 21 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Organisers say the event is designed to strengthen Kenya’s role as a regional innovation hub while accelerating cross-border partnerships, AI investment, and digital infrastructure development across East Africa’s fast-growing market of more than 300 million people.
The gathering is expected to address some of the most pressing questions surrounding Africa’s digital future, including how the continent can build sovereign AI systems, protect local data, improve financial inclusion, strengthen cybersecurity, and ensure that AI innovation reflects African realities rather than imported models alone.
Kenya’s Growing Influence in Africa’s Tech Economy
Over the last decade, Kenya has steadily built a reputation as one of Africa’s leading technology ecosystems. Often referred to as the “Silicon Savannah,” the country has become home to thriving fintech innovation, startup investment, digital public infrastructure, and a growing AI research community.
According to H.E. Ambassador Philip Thigo, hosting AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA marks a defining moment not just for Kenya, but for the wider East African region.
He said the country’s commitment to inclusive innovation and forward-looking digital policies has helped establish Kenya as a technology leader on the continent.
“Kenya has firmly established itself as a leading technology hub in Africa, driven by innovation, talent, and a forward-looking digital agenda,” Thigo said.
He added that the event reflects East Africa’s ambition to shape AI development in ways that align with African priorities and realities.
“This is where East Africa advances toward co-authoring a future where lives are uplifted, social gaps are bridged, and shared prosperity is realised through innovation,” he stated.
For many observers, the significance of the event extends beyond technology showcases. It also reflects the growing competition among African nations to attract AI investment, digital infrastructure projects, and startup capital in an increasingly AI-driven global economy.
Building an African AI Ecosystem
The conference comes as analysts project Africa’s AI market could reach US$16.5 billion by 2030, creating millions of jobs and unlocking new economic opportunities.
From agriculture and healthcare to education, fintech, logistics, and cybersecurity, AI is increasingly being viewed as a tool capable of helping African countries leapfrog longstanding infrastructure and development gaps.
However, African policymakers and technology leaders are also becoming more vocal about the risks of relying entirely on foreign AI systems and datasets that may not adequately represent African languages, cultures, or economic conditions.
This concern around “digital sovereignty” is expected to become one of the major themes at the Nairobi event.
Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of the global organiser of GITEX, said the conference will bring together a broad coalition of digital economy stakeholders united by a shared ambition to shape East Africa’s future in the AI era.
According to her, the event is intended to create new relationships, communities, and collaborative ecosystems that can accelerate inclusive AI adoption across the continent.
Industry leaders, government representatives, regulators, and investors are expected to debate how Africa can build AI infrastructure that serves local populations while maintaining ownership of critical digital systems and data.
From Food Security to Financial Inclusion
The opening-day summit at the Sarit Expo Centre will focus heavily on real-world AI deployment across sectors critical to Africa’s development.
Discussions are expected to cover food systems, energy access, digital finance, talent development, cybersecurity, climate resilience, and public sector innovation.
Organisers say the summit will feature participants from the European AI Office, Goldman Sachs, IBM, AGRA, and several African governments including Mozambique, Ghana, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
One of the major talking points is likely to be how African countries can create AI policies that balance innovation with ethics, inclusion, and economic independence.
The event’s “AI in Action Forum” at KICC will then shift conversations from theory to implementation, focusing on how organisations can deploy AI solutions across sectors such as agriculture, security, civic technology, and enterprise operations.
The forum is also expected to examine how AI systems can better support African languages and cultural preservation in the digital era.
Global Tech Companies Gather in Nairobi
Beyond the policy conversations, the conference will also serve as a major exhibition platform for global and regional technology companies.
Some of the participating companies include Cisco, Fortinet, HP, Kaspersky, Mastercard, Zoho, and ASUS.
Regional infrastructure firms such as Africa Data Centers and iX Africa Data Centres are also expected to participate, highlighting the growing importance of local cloud infrastructure and compute capacity in Africa’s AI ambitions.
Mastercard, which has applied AI technologies for nearly two decades, plans to showcase several AI-driven commerce and digital payment solutions during the conference.
According to Shehryar Ali, AI has the potential to redefine financial inclusion across the continent.
He noted that AI-powered fraud detection, intelligent credit scoring, and digital payment systems could help underserved consumers and small businesses gain access to formal financial services.
“Africa’s AI market is projected to grow to US$16.5 billion by 2030, with the potential to create up to 230 million digital jobs,” Ali said.
Investors Eye East Africa’s Startup Ecosystem
The event also reflects East Africa’s growing importance in Africa’s startup and venture capital ecosystem.
Kenya reportedly attracted more than US$1 billion in venture capital funding in 2025, accounting for more than a quarter of all startup funding raised across Africa during the period.
As a result, Nairobi is increasingly being viewed as a strategic entry point for investors looking to tap into Africa’s expanding digital economy.
More than 100 investors from 21 countries are expected to attend AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA, collectively managing over US$50 billion in assets.
The investor lineup includes venture capital firms such as Norrsken22, Partech, Verod Kepple Africa Ventures, Novastar, and Seedstars.
The conference’s Venture Scaling Forum will explore issues surrounding product-market fit, startup profitability, climate tech, and scaling African businesses globally.
Meanwhile, the Supernova Challenge startup competition will offer founders an opportunity to pitch their ideas for global visibility and equity-free funding support.
AI Readiness, Cybersecurity, and Skills Development
Another major focus of the conference will be practical AI readiness and workforce development.
Organisers say attendees will participate in workshops covering AI deployment strategies, open-weight AI models such as Llama and Mistral, cybersecurity simulations, and rapid prototype development.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is also expected to lead AI readiness discussions focused on helping governments build national AI strategies and shared standards.
The ITU AI Readiness Hackathon, described as the first in a planned global series, will bring together students, developers, researchers, and professionals to co-create open AI knowledge systems using ITU tools and cloud resources.
Cybersecurity will also feature prominently at the conference, particularly as AI-powered cyberattacks become more sophisticated globally.
An AI Cyber Offense and Defense Roundtable led by ISACA will examine how AI is transforming cyber warfare, automated vulnerability discovery, and digital defense systems.
Africa’s AI Future Takes Shape
As governments and businesses across Africa race to position themselves in the global AI economy, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA represents more than a technology conference.
It signals Africa’s growing determination to define its own digital future, shape AI policies that reflect local priorities, and ensure the continent participates actively in the next wave of technological transformation rather than remaining a passive consumer of imported systems.
For Kenya, the event further strengthens its reputation as a continental technology powerhouse. For East Africa, it could become a launchpad for a new era of AI-driven innovation, regional cooperation, and digital sovereignty.
More information is available at aieverythingkenya.com.
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