By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Kenya’s Principal Secretary
for ICT and Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, has been named among
the inaugural DPI 50: Leaders of Digital Public Infrastructure, an initiative
launched by Apolitical in collaboration with the World Economic Forum Global
Future Council on GovTech and Digital Public Infrastructure.
The recognition was
announced in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly
week. The DPI 50 recognises public sector leaders advancing digital public
infrastructure, including digital identity, payments, data exchange and
interoperable and AI-enabled systems.
Tanui said he received the
recognition on behalf of teams across the Government of Kenya and its partners
working to make public services simpler and more accessible.
He highlighted Kenya’s
continued digitisation of public services, noting that more than 25,000
services are now available on the eCitizen platform, alongside progress in
areas including universal health and agriculture that is contributing to
increased digital government transactions and services.
Kenya is now advancing
connectivity, onboarding artificial intelligence and strengthening connections
between digital identity, payments and trusted, secure data exchange, with the
aim of enabling services to work better together for users and citizens.
Tanui is among 50 public
sector leaders recognised globally through the initiative. The DPI 50 listing
highlights his role in Kenya’s digital transformation, including the expansion
of eCitizen and work on interoperability through the Government Enterprise
Architecture and Government Interoperability Framework.
He also acknowledged fellow
leaders featured on the list, including Pramod Varma of India, Andrea Donath of
Germany, Yu Ying of China and Masanori Kusunoki of Japan, as well as Rwanda’s
ICT Minister Paula Ingabire, Tanzania’s Eng. Daniel Sarungi and Indonesia’s
Rahmat Danu Andika.
According to Tanui, their
work demonstrates what can be achieved when digital infrastructure is built
around people’s needs, public trust and the ability to innovate.
For Kenya, he said the
recognition provides encouragement as the country continues its digital
transformation agenda, with digital services, connectivity, artificial
intelligence and integrated digital infrastructure being advanced as part of
the country’s broader economic transformation.
Tanui said Kenya will
continue working towards delivering digital services that are connected,
inclusive and useful in everyday life while supporting the next stage of the
country’s economic transformation.
