Institute of Design and Innovation advances Co-Design approach in Kenya’s National AI Policy development

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The Institute of Design and Innovation (IDI) has announced its participation in Kenya’s National Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies policy formulation process, positioning itself as a key contributor to the country’s evolving digital governance framework.

The initiative is being convened by the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Digital Economy (MICDE) through the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology, in collaboration with the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and Action Lab Africa. The process is widely regarded as a significant step in shaping Kenya’s strategy for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

IDI stated that its involvement is anchored in a Co-Design model for policy development, an approach that emphasizes stakeholder inclusion and collaborative governance. The institute argues that unlike conventional top-down regulatory processes, the Co-Design framework treats industry players, researchers, civil society, and government institutions as active participants in drafting policy.

According to IDI, the model operates across three core dimensions. The first, multidisciplinary convergence, seeks to integrate perspectives from academia, civil society, the private sector, and public institutions to ensure that policy outcomes reflect both technical and societal realities.

The second dimension, contextual intelligence, focuses on early engagement with a broad ecosystem, including research institutions, media practitioners, national and county governments, and special interest groups. IDI noted that this approach is designed to ensure AI systems deployed across sectors such as fintech and agriculture are safe by design and responsive to local contexts.

The third component, durable governance, underscores the institute’s emphasis on trust-building and institutional resilience. IDI maintains that policies developed through collaborative mechanisms are more likely to achieve long-term effectiveness and equitable impact.

Through its participation, the institute says it aims to support Kenya’s ambition not only to adopt artificial intelligence technologies but to develop policies, ethical frameworks, and talent pipelines that position the country as a leader in AI governance within the Global South.

Kenya has increasingly prioritized emerging technologies as part of its broader digital transformation agenda, with policymakers and industry stakeholders highlighting the need for regulatory structures that balance innovation, ethics, and economic competitiveness.