Kenya is set to host the Connected Africa Summit 2024 scheduled for April 21st to 25th this year at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
The five-day event that will bring together African Heads of State, Ministers of ICT, public sector representatives, private sector leaders, academia, foreign missions and development partners among others aims at addressing the critical challenges and opportunities within Africa’s ICT sector.
Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo said the forum is beneficial to Kenya as it will attract investments for the country, foster economic development and position the nation as a hub for innovation and technology in Africa besides becoming a hub for conference tourism.
“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.
He said during the event, there will be presentations on digital connectivity, address on the digital divide, and human aspect in Artificial Intelligence development.
Other topics to be discussed will include powering smart governments, Fintech, the transition of industry from 4.0 to 5.0 will be explored, and there will also be provision of insights into opportunities, challenges and strategies for the digital era.
The CS made the remarks on Monday 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 Connected Africa Summit 2024 that was held at a Nairobi hotel.
Owalo noted that the Summit will also offer an opportunity for the media professionals to use advanced tools by ensuring that stories of Africa’s digital transformation are told with accuracy and vibrancy.
“The Ministry views the media not merely as distributors of information but as active contributors to the digital conversation. We are eager to work together on projects that enhance digital understanding, produce content that simplifies complex technology and bridge the digital divide,” he stated.
The CS added that the ministry’s collaboration with the media will provide essential information on digital services and rights directly to the people who need it most.
He at the same time called upon the media stakeholders to assist in forging the digital future of Africa by ensuring it is robust, inclusive and innovative, noting that the media has unprecedented power to shape perceptions and inform the public.
In his remarks, Eng. Tanui said the African continent is lagging behind due to lack of a significant platform to address its ICT issues, noting that the summit will enable the continent come up with ways of building one that can support growth of economy.
“We will have conversations on how we can improve knowledge economy, work on robotics, machine learning and to work closely with academic institutions to grow learning economy,” said Tanui, adding that Kenya and the Africa continent need to rise in e-commerce.
The PS said Kenya is well prepared to launch a journey towards establishing an Artificial Intelligence strategy that will be used for the good of mankind.
He called on the media to use the summit to forge partnerships with companies across the continent to enable them operate beyond Kenya.
The upcoming Summit is expected to foster Africa and global partnership towards the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals, Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, Africa Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy, Kenya Vision 2030, Digital Economy Strategy of Kenya and the Kenya National Digital Masterplan 2022-2023.
The Connected 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 conducted 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.
The event was also addressed by the ICT Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Kamanguya and the ICT Authority Chairman, Board of Directors Sylvanus Maritim among other senior government officials.
By Bernadette Khaduli
