By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
Kenya has called for a more
inclusive and implementation-focused global framework for artificial
intelligence governance, urging stronger international cooperation to ensure
that AI benefits all countries and does not widen existing digital divides.
Delivering Kenya’s national
statement at the inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Cabinet
Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Hon. William
Kabogo Gitau said Kenya’s approach is grounded in practical measures aimed at
expanding opportunity and shared prosperity through technology.
Speaking on behalf of the
government and President William Samoei Ruto, the Cabinet Secretary emphasized
that many developing countries continue to face structural challenges in
artificial intelligence development, particularly in access to computing power,
quality datasets and language representation.
He called for global
cooperation that moves beyond principles to concrete implementation, including
improved access to affordable compute infrastructure, development of open and
representative datasets, enhanced skills development and fair financing mechanisms
for institutions responsible for AI governance and deployment.
Kabogo also outlined Kenya’s
domestic digital transformation initiatives, highlighting the eCitizen
platform, which now provides more than 22,000 government services to over 13
million users. He noted that Kenya has also launched a Government Interoperability
Framework designed to integrate public service systems across government
agencies.
In addition, he said Kenya
is implementing an AI in government training programme developed in
collaboration with UNESCO and the University of Oxford, targeting the training
of 20,000 public officers by 2027. Kenya is also among five countries
participating in a pilot programme on artificial intelligence and robotics
education in schools in partnership with the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU).
The Cabinet Secretary added
that Kenya played a key role in shaping consensus during the WSIS+20 review
process as co-facilitator and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to supporting
the United Nations as a central platform for global coordination on AI
governance.
He said Kenya will continue
to advocate for a global AI framework that ensures equitable access to
technology and guarantees that the benefits of artificial intelligence are
shared widely across all nations.
