Delegates for the Connect Africa Summit, slated for April 21st–25th, have started arriving for the five-day event.
The summit to be held at the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi is expected to bring together African Heads of State, Ministers of ICT, public and private sector representatives, members of academia, foreign missions, and development partners.
The upcoming Summit is expected to foster Africa and global partnership towards the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals, the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, the Africa Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy, Kenya Vision 2030, the Digital Economy Strategy of Kenya, and the Kenya National Digital Masterplan 2022-2023.
The Connect Africa Summit began in 2009 as a public sector forum whose objectives included nurturing innovative ideas and partnerships that would leverage technology to advance the achievement of Africa’s development agenda 2063.
Since then, the summit has been held for 12 consecutive years, with an average of 10,000 participants from 15 countries, 30 international ICT firms, and 50 local ICT firms.
The Summit has attracted leading industry players, including Safaricom, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell Technologies, CISCO, Huawei, Airtel, Jamii Telcom, and Telkom Kenya.
Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo said the forum was beneficial to Kenya as it will attract investments for the country, foster economic development, position the nation as a hub for innovation and technology in Africa, and also be a hub for conference tourism.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, during a Breakfast briefing for Media Editors on the upcoming event at a Nairobi hotel, the CS said the event will address the digital divide, and human aspects in Artificial Intelligence development.
“It will also enhance Kenya’s global standing, boost the economy, facilitate knowledge exchange, foster partnerships, influence policies, and showcase our achievements in the digital space,” said Owalo.
By Ruth Mbuthia
