from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA and Canada are expanding their partnership on artificial intelligence (AI) research and sovereign capacity.
The two countries are engaging on such at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India.
Philip Tigo, the Special Envoy on Technology for Kenya, and Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, met at the sidelines of the summit.
The officials’ engagement focused on sovereign AI, multimodal and multilingual model collaboration as well as research and development.
Tigo proposed research and development anchored in historic investments between Kenya and Canada.
“Canada’s longstanding leadership in AI research and Kenya’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem create a natural bridge for joint labs, talent exchange, computer partnerships and responsible AI governance collaboration,” he said.
Sovereign capacity is a nation’s ability to independently manage essential systems, resources and policy such as defense, technology and manufacturing without undue reliance on foreign actors.
“Sovereignty in an era of interdependence means building domestic capability while collaborating on shared infrastructure and trusted partnerships,” Tigo said.
He argued that for countries like Kenya, linguistic diversity is an innovation opportunity, not a constraint.
“By co-developing models that reflect our languages, cultures and contexts, we ensure AI systems are inclusive, representative and globally relevant.”
Tigo concluded, “As the global AI landscape evolves, partnerships grounded in trust, shared values and complementary strengths will define the next chapter.”
Technology ties between Kenya and Canada are increasingly focused on AI governance, clean technology, digital infrastructure and innovation.
In a related development, John Tanui, Kenya Principal Secretary: State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy on Thursday presided over a bilateral engagement between the governments of Kenya Angola, following the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Communication.
The discussions in Nairobi focused on strengthening collaboration in technological development, particularly mobile applications, advancing joint projects on satellite networks and submarine optical fibre, expanding electronic communications in rural and underserved areas and modernising and sharing technological infrastructure.
The delegations discussed enhancing cybersecurity, growing the digital economy and e-commerce as well as promoting digital literacy alongside advanced ICT training.
“This partnership reflects Kenya’s continued commitment to strengthening international cooperation, accelerating digital transformation, and advancing inclusive connectivity as a driver of sustainable socio-economic development,” Tanui said.
– CAJ News