Kenya has taken a significant step forward in the realm of digital innovation by partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Microsoft to create the Africa Centre of Competence for Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skills. This new institution is poised to become a hub for fostering public sector innovation, with a focus on enhancing the delivery of services through the use of cutting-edge digital and AI technologies. Strategically situated at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, the centre is set to be a transformative force in service delivery not just within Kenya, but across the entire African continent.
The centre’s vision is to catalyze change beyond Kenya’s borders, aiming to reach and uplift other regions in Africa by promoting digital upskilling within the public sector. UNDP has highlighted the centre’s mission to empower public sector workers with the necessary digital competencies and innovative thinking required to excel in a digitalized environment, thereby driving innovation and improving the delivery of public services as part of Africa’s broader digital transformation agenda.
This initiative is in sync with the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032, which has set an ambitious target to enhance the digital literacy of 300,000 public servants. The centre is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving this target. To this end, the centre will offer a variety of training courses designed to impart essential skills such as human-centered problem-solving, systems thinking, and strategic foresight. These courses are tailored to equip public employees with the ability to proactively identify and tackle future challenges through innovative approaches.
The Kenyan government will provide strategic leadership to ensure that the centre’s activities are in line with both national and regional development goals. Meanwhile, the expertise and resources of global technology giants like Microsoft and Google will be leveraged to maintain the centre’s position at the forefront of digital and AI advancements. The UNDP has also recognized that the centre’s objectives are well-aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including quality education (SDG 4), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10).
To further support the practical application of the skills learned, the centre has introduced a Public Sector Innovation Fund. This fund will provide micro-grants to public servants, encouraging them to apply their new digital skills to address real-world challenges within their respective sectors. This initiative will facilitate the development and implementation of innovative digital solutions that are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of different sectors.
This development is part of a broader trend in Kenya’s commitment to digital growth. In 2018, Microsoft Corporation inaugurated Africa’s first Software Testing Centre in Nairobi, with the goal of employing over 1,000 young people and imparting valuable knowledge to Kenya’s budding engineers.
April 2022 saw Google open its first product development centre on the African continent in Nairobi, with the aim of creating transformative products and services tailored for the African market and beyond. Moreover, the Kenyan government has been actively working to enhance the country’s digital landscape. In April 2024, it embarked on a collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to initiate a project focused on developing a comprehensive National Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy.
