Nairobi will host East Africa’s largest synthetic intelligence gathering from Might 19 to 21, as AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX debuts in partnership with Kenya’s Workplace of the Particular Envoy on Expertise.
Organised by GITEX by way of its world occasions arm and native companions, the three day programme spans two venues.
The Inclusive AI The whole lot Summit opens Might 19 on the Sarit Expo Centre, adopted by a two day expo on Might 20 and 21 on the Kenyatta Worldwide Conference Centre.
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Conveners say the occasion is designed to speed up AI deployment throughout East Africa, with a give attention to meals programs, monetary inclusion, cybersecurity and sovereign AI infrastructure.
Greater than 300 million folks dwell within the broader East African market the organisers are concentrating on, inside an African AI sector projected to achieve $16.5 billion by 2030.
Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Particular Envoy on Expertise, stated internet hosting the occasion displays Kenya’s ambition to form AI coverage and funding throughout the area. “That is the place East Africa advances towards co-authoring a future the place lives are uplifted, social gaps are bridged, and shared prosperity is realised by way of innovation.”
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Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of GITEX’s world organiser, stated the Nairobi version will join policymakers, buyers and know-how firms round shared requirements and cross border partnerships.
“We’re proud to carry a brand new ecosystem of communities, networks, and relationships to a area the place the keenness and intent to forge new alliances, actuate visionary methods, and pursue decisive, coordinated motion within the identify of inclusive AI integration and digital sovereignty are tangible,” she stated.
The opening summit will convene authorities officers, multilateral establishments and trade executives to debate financing fashions, native expertise pipelines and information governance frameworks.
Audio system are anticipated from the European AI Workplace, Goldman Sachs, IBM and the Alliance for a Inexperienced Revolution in Africa, alongside representatives from Mozambique, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania. Organisers say about 60 p.c of attendees will journey from outdoors Kenya.
The expo phase shifts to implementation. Sector boards will look at compute entry, digital public infrastructure, predictive safety and the preservation of African languages in AI programs.
The exhibition flooring will function firms together with Cisco, ASUS, Fortinet, HP, Kaspersky, Mastercard and Zoho, alongside regional information centre operators akin to Africa Knowledge Facilities and iX Africa Knowledge Centres.
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Shehryar Ali, the corporate’s senior vice chairman and nation supervisor for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, stated AI is already reshaping credit score scoring and funds safety throughout the continent. Trade estimates venture as much as 230 million digital jobs linked to AI adoption in Africa over the approaching decade.
The occasion additionally positions itself as a capital market. Kenya attracted $1.04 billion in enterprise funding in 2025, greater than 1 / 4 of Africa’s complete, in keeping with organisers.
Greater than 100 buyers from 21 nations, managing a mixed $50 billion in property, are anticipated in Nairobi. Collaborating corporations embody Norrsken22, Partech, Novastar Ventures and Seedstars.
Programming features a Enterprise Scaling Discussion board on capital entry and profitability, and the Supernova Problem startup pitch competitors, which provides fairness free prize funding and worldwide publicity.
Workshops will run alongside the principle periods, protecting AI course of design, open weight fashions akin to Meta’s Llama and Mistral, cybersecurity simulations and speedy product prototyping.
The Worldwide Telecommunication Union will host an AI Readiness Roundtable and lead its first world AI Readiness Hackathon in Nairobi, whereas ISACA will convene safety executives to look at AI pushed cyber offense and protection.
Organisers body the week as a take a look at of whether or not coverage, capital and infrastructure can transfer in step.
For Kenya and its neighbours, the query is now not whether or not AI will form the digital financial system, however how rapidly regional establishments can translate ambition into deployment.
