Kenya is set to catalyse a new phase of AI-driven digital transformation in East Africa as the region’s largest tech show, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA, makes its debut next week in Nairobi to fast-track tech investment and cross-border collaboration in a US$16.5 billion continental AI market.
Organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA takes place from 19–21 May 2026 across two venues: the Inclusive AI Everything Summit at Sarit Expo Centre on 19 May, followed by the AI EVERYTHING KENYA EXPO on 20–21 May at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The three-day event shall amplify Kenya’s position as a central node in advancing East Africa’s sovereign, inclusive, and investment-driven AI ecosystems, convening regional and global tech leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators to accelerate AI infrastructure and digital economy development in a rising East African market of more than 300 million people.
H.E. Ambassador Philip Thigo, Special Envoy for Technology, Office of the President, Government of Kenya, said: “Kenya has firmly established itself as a leading technology hub in Africa, driven by innovation, talent, and a forward-looking digital agenda.
“Hosting AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA is a defining moment for East Africa, reflecting our commitment to shaping the future of AI in a manner that is inclusive, sovereign, and aligned with Africa’s development priorities. This is where East Africa advances toward co-authoring a future where lives are uplifted, social gaps are bridged, and shared prosperity is realised through innovation.”
Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of the global organiser of GITEX, said: “AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA shall convene an exceptional gathering of digital economy stakeholders, united in a shared ambition to shape East Africa’s trajectory in the emerging AI era.
“We’re proud to bring a new ecosystem of communities, networks, and relationships to a region where the enthusiasm and intent to forge new alliances, actuate visionary strategies, and pursue decisive, coordinated action in the name of inclusive AI integration and digital sovereignty are tangible.”
Nairobi: Answering Africa’s hardest AI questions
The opening-day Inclusive AI Everything Summit convenes Pan-African government officials, global institutions, and industry pioneers around the debates defining Africa’s AI future, from finance that believes in the continent and nurturing talent that builds, to food that feeds the future, energy for everyone, and sovereignty without walls.
With 60 percent international attendees, the summit spotlights sovereign AI use cases and deployment from the leaders shaping an inclusive future, including insights from the European AI Office, Goldman Sachs, IBM, AGRA, and government leaders spanning Mozambique, Ghana, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
The AI in Action Forum at KICC on 20–21 May then takes these debates into applied territory, with sector-focused sessions addressing energy and compute access, intelligent food systems, predictive security, civic tech, data currency, and the future of African languages and culture in the age of AI, bringing together CAIOs, CISOs, big tech CEOs, and enterprise leaders from across the continent and beyond.
Meanwhile, East Africa’s largest curation of cross-sector AI takes shape on the exhibition floor, with global tech ecosystem enablers including ASUS, Cisco, Fortinet, HP, Odoo, IT Park Uzbekistan, Kaspersky, Mastercard, Mitsumi Distribution, Redington, ZKTeco and Zoho, alongside regional infrastructure powerhouses such as Africa Data Centers, eProcess Consulting, iX Africa Data Centres, Red Dot and Mart Networks.
Mastercard, which powers digital payments across 210 countries and has applied AI for nearly two decades, will showcase a full suite of digital products, including its AI and agentic commerce products and concepts.
Shehryar Ali, Mastercard’s senior vice president and country manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, said AI is set to redefine African commerce and empower financial inclusion: “Africa’s AI market is projected to grow to US$16.5 billion by 2030, with the potential to create up to 230 million digital jobs. AI is already powering real-time fraud detection that protects billions of transactions, enabling AI-driven credit scoring that opens formal finance to underserved consumers and small businesses.”
An investor-startup ecosystem supercharging East Africa’s digital future
Kenya has emerged as Africa’s top destination for venture capital, comprising more than one-quarter (US$1.04 billion) of total funding raised across the continent in 2025. AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA 2026 in Nairobi now serves as the nexus where capital, talent, and policy align to accelerate investment and drive growth across East Africa’s digital economies.
With AI projected to contribute US$2.4 billion to Kenya’s GDP by 2030, the two-day expo unites the region’s rising gamechangers with more than 100 investors from 21 countries, collectively managing US$50-plus billion in assets under management. The investor cohort includes VCs deploying most of their investments across Africa including Norrsken22 (Sweden), Partech (USA), Verod Kepple Africa Ventures (Nigeria), Novastar (UK), and Seedstars (Switzerland).
The Venture Scaling Forum will surface the hard truths behind building million-dollar companies, covering capital access, product-market fit for Africa, path to profitability, and climate tech, while the Supernova Challenge, the world’s number one startup pitch competition, offers East Africa’s boldest founders equity-free cash prize and global exposure.
A power-packed agenda of forums, workshops, and AI readiness programmes
Beyond AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA’s main stage, expert-led workshops will move tech executives from insight to implementation across practical, high-intensity sessions.
These include designing AI-driven processes teams can deploy immediately, hands-on training with African-deployable open-weight models including Llama and Mistral, cybersecurity simulations placing attendees inside live deepfake and AI phishing scenarios, and a rapid pitch-to-prototype sprint turning ideas into investor-ready AI MVPs in three hours.
The workshop agenda is anchored by the ITU-led (International Telecommunication Union) AI Readiness Roundtable and Workshop, convening government leaders to advance shared AI standards and national strategies, while the ITU AI Readiness Hackathon – the first in ITU’s global series – invites students, researchers, and professionals to co-create an open AI knowledge base using ITU tools, data, and cloud credits.
The AI Cyber Offense and Defense Roundtable, led by ISACA, brings together C-suite and security leaders to examine how AI is redefining offensive cyber operations, from automated vulnerability discovery to adaptive attack simulations.
More information is available at aieverythingkenya.com.
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