from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA and Nigeria have held discussions on strengthening collaboration in several areas of information and communication technology (ICT).
Senior officials from the two nations discussed prospects for expansion during the two-day Africa Forward Summit, which concluded in Kenya on Tuesday.
William Gitau, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, hosted Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, in Nairobi on the sidelines of the event.
He disclosed that the discussions centred on strengthening collaboration in the ICT sector between the two countries, exploring opportunities for innovation, digital transformation, knowledge exchange and regional cooperation.
“This is aimed at advancing Africa’s technological growth and economic integration,” Gitau said.
The Kenyan official reported that Tijani commended Kenya’s remarkable progress in technology and digital infrastructure, particularly the ongoing implementation of the 100 000-km national fibre connectivity programme.
The ambitious project is dubbed the Digital Superhighway.
“I look forward to continued engagements with Dr Tijani as we deepen collaboration for the benefit of our two nations and the African continent,” Gitau said.
Gitau said the theme of the meeting was aligned with President William Ruto’s emphasis that Africa’s development must be driven by Africans through the effective utilisation of the continent’s own resources, talent and innovation.
Ruto officially opened the Africa Forward Summit, held in collaboration with France.
The summit enabled Kenya to explore and expand collaborations with several global technology companies.
Among them are Peach Payments and SAP.
Discussions between Kenya and Peach Payments focused on strengthening digital payment systems across the continent, enhancing financial inclusion and supporting cross-border trade through secure and efficient technology platforms.
With SAP, engagements focused on advancing strategic collaboration in the areas of smart cities development, acceleration of large-scale cloud and digital transformation programmes, enterprise modernisation, AI adoption and the strengthening of digital skills ecosystems.
– CAJ News