NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Telecom firm Huawei will be leveraging its competitive edge in emerging technologies such as cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) to contribute to digital revolution in Kenya, senior executives said Friday.
Speaking at the Huawei Cloud and Connect Summit Kenya 2025, held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, the executives called for closer partnership between government and private sector to deploy technologies that are key to the growth of digital economy and efficient service delivery.
Washington Okoth, the secretary of ICT infrastructure in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Digital Economy, said the initiative will unlock the immense potential of AI and cloud to help foster innovation, economic growth and job creation.
Jacqueline Shi, the president of Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Service, said the firm has rallied behind Kenya's transition to a knowledge-based economy through investing in supportive infrastructure and digital literacy.
According to Shi, Kenya is strategically positioned to become a hub for digital revolution in Africa, while a friendly regulatory environment is key to spurring uptake of technologies like AI that are required to realize that ambitious goal.
"I believe that AI can help Kenya create more opportunities, improve competitiveness in Africa and the world," Shi said, underscoring the potential of AI to boost social renewal and governance in Kenya.
Senior policymakers, industry executives, regulators, founders of technology startups and young innovators attended this year's edition of Huawei cloud and connect summit themed "Accelerate Intelligence, Ignite Smart Kenya."
Gao Fei, the chief executive officer of Huawei Kenya, noted that the country is poised to reap from private sector-led investments in AI and cloud that are reshaping key sectors like education, finance, health, transport and energy.
Kenya is on course to realizing a smart and digital future as Huawei forges ties with state agencies and local enterprises to facilitate seamless adoption of AI and cloud, Gao said.
He cited investments in the fourth generation (4G) network, a tier 3 data center in Kenya's envisioned smart city called Konza Technopolis as pivotal in pushing forward the country's digital transformation agenda.
During the day-long summit, the Kenya AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative was launched, backed by Huawei, state agencies and industry partners including financial institutions.
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