By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Kenya is seeking to deepen
its partnership with Cisco, with discussions focusing on digital and AI skills
for young people, the development of the Moran AI Center of Excellence,
cybersecurity and responsible technology.
Kenya’s Special Envoy on
Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, said he joined President William Samoei
Ruto for discussions with Francine Katsoudas, Cisco’s Executive Vice President
and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer, and her team on strengthening
the company’s partnership with Kenya.
The discussions covered the
Moran AI Center of Excellence, being developed with the Kenya Defence Forces
and the Ministry of Defence as a regional hub for artificial intelligence,
cybersecurity and responsible technology.
Thigo said the discussions
also considered Cisco’s growing engagement with Kenyan public institutions and
opportunities to strengthen cooperation around emerging technologies.
The partnership comes amid
Kenya’s wider efforts to build local AI capabilities and strengthen responsible
technology development. The country recently formalised a separate partnership
with Anthropic focused on AI skills and capacity building, research,
responsible public-sector applications, AI safety and evaluation, and locally
relevant applications.
Thigo expressed appreciation
to Katsoudas, Charmaine Houvet and the Cisco team for their continued
partnership and commitment to Kenya.
