AI summit puts focus on East Africa’s digital future

As the global race for artificial intelligence intensifies, East African countries are increasingly under pressure to decide whether they will merely consume AI technologies developed elsewhere or position themselves as active players in the emerging digital economy.

That debate is expected to dominate discussions at the AI EVERYTHING summit opening in Nairobi this week, where policymakers, technology firms, investors, and innovators will gather to map out the region’s role in Africa’s fast-growing AI sector.

Analysts estimate that artificial intelligence could contribute as much as 1.5 trillion US dollars to Africa’s economy by 2030 if governments and private sector players invest heavily in digital infrastructure, innovation, skills development, and supportive policy frameworks.

For Uganda and other East African countries, the summit comes at a time when governments are accelerating digital transformation programmes across sectors such as agriculture, banking, healthcare, education, and public administration.

Organisers describe the three-day event, scheduled for May 19 to 21, as East Africa’s largest technology and AI gathering. More than 400 senior executives, government officials, investors, and global technology leaders are expected to attend discussions on AI governance, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, innovation financing, and data sovereignty.

At the centre of the conversations will be a growing concern that Africa risks falling behind in the AI revolution unless countries invest in local computing power, data infrastructure, and digital talent.

Technology experts say Uganda possesses strong potential because of its youthful population and expanding innovation ecosystem. However, major structural challenges remain, including limited access to reliable internet, inadequate digital skills, high connectivity costs, and unstable electricity supply in some parts of the country.

The Nairobi summit is also expected to amplify discussions around “AI sovereignty,” a concept that is gaining momentum globally as countries seek greater control over their data, cloud systems, and digital infrastructure.

Governments and industry leaders increasingly fear that overdependence on foreign-owned technology platforms could leave African economies vulnerable in the future digital order.

Industry players attending the summit argue that Africa’s AI ambitions will largely depend on investments in local data centres, energy systems, high-speed internet connectivity, and research capacity.

Snehar Shah, the Chief Executive Officer of iXAfrica Data Centres, said Africa’s next phase of economic growth will heavily depend on how quickly countries build infrastructure capable of supporting AI systems.

“But AI will not scale on ambition alone,” Shah said. “It requires secure, resilient, high-density, well-connected and energy-conscious infrastructure that can support cloud platforms, sovereign data, enterprise workloads and emerging AI ecosystems.”

The summit will also showcase African-led AI innovations designed around local languages and realities rather than imported solutions.

Among the innovations expected to attract attention is PAWA AI, a Mozilla and NVIDIA-backed platform developed to improve AI accessibility for more than 200 million Swahili and other African language speakers.

Experts say such innovations could create opportunities for countries like Uganda to develop AI tools tailored to local communities, particularly in agriculture, education, and healthcare.

Agriculture is expected to feature prominently during the discussions, with stakeholders exploring how AI can improve food production, climate resilience, pest control, and market access for smallholder farmers.

In Uganda, where agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, analysts believe artificial intelligence could help farmers improve productivity through weather forecasting, precision farming, and early pest detection systems.

Healthcare is another sector increasingly attracting interest from AI developers, especially in disease surveillance, diagnostics, and digital health management systems.

The summit is expected to draw participation from global organisations and institutions, including IBM, Goldman Sachs, AGRA, the European Artificial Intelligence Office, and the African Continental Free Trade Area Policy Network. Government representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Mozambique, and Cameroon are also expected to attend.

Kenya is using the summit to strengthen Nairobi’s position as one of Africa’s leading technology hubs, but observers say the wider regional discussions could significantly influence digital policy directions across East Africa.

Frank Moreno Garcia, the Chief AI Strategy Officer at the European Artificial Intelligence Office, described the summit as an important platform for collaboration.

“It offers a unique space where stakeholders can identify real opportunities to build inclusive, sustainable and future-ready digital ecosystems,” he said.