The Kenyan government, in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, has launched a project to develop a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy.

This initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union.

The project, titled “FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All,” recognizes the immense potential of AI for driving Kenya’s digital transformation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, it also acknowledges the challenges that come with this emerging technology.

Kick-off Meeting to Engage Stakeholders

An in-person kick-off meeting was held on Monday April 8th, 2024 at Mercure Hotel, Nairobi, bringing together about 70 key stakeholders from various sectors, including industry, academia, government, and civil society.

The meeting aimed to:Identify gaps and opportunities within the Kenyan AI ecosystem, discuss existing initiatives and partnerships related to AI, define priorities for the National AI Strategy and gather feedback on the strategy development process.

Expected Outcomes

The kick-off meeting is expected to deliver several key outputs:Valuable insights from stakeholders to guide the strategy development process, a joint action plan outlining the next steps and assigning responsibilities and identification of critical stakeholder groups for continued engagement.

“This project represents a significant step forward for Kenya in harnessing the power of AI for sustainable development and social inclusion,” noted GIZ Country Director, Bodo Immink.

The kick-off meeting delved deeper into Kenya’s AI ecosystem through breakout sessions divided into four groups.

Each group was guided by a discussion focusing on key gaps and opportunities, existing initiatives and partnerships, and capacity limitations within the Kenyan AI landscape.

The breakout sessions explored a range of critical topics such as the impact of AI on the economy, the need for a robust policy and regulatory framework, talent development strategies, and the state of computing resources in Kenya.

Additionally, discussions addressed challenges and opportunities surrounding Research and Development (R&D), data sets and data systems, including data collection methods and value extraction strategies.

Finally, a session on stakeholder mapping identified influential stakeholders with a high interest in AI and explored their motivations.

This exercise also aimed to determine who should be involved in the development of the National AI Strategy and the reasons for their inclusion.

Overseeing the process,  IT Practitioner, Prof Timothy Waema noted that more similar sessions will be held, stating, “In the next two weeks we will have a similar exercise. We will make sure that what was gathered today from the six groups will be compiled, synthesized and presented in the next session.”

This comes after the introduction of The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Society Bill 2023 that proposes creating a new regulatory body, the Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Society, to oversee the development and use of these technologies and also that businesses involved in robotics or AI would need to register and obtain a license from the RSK.

However, IT experts have since raised concerns about the bill. They say it has flaws and that stakeholders weren’t involved in its creation.

The National Assembly is currently reviewing the bill.