Kenya's digital infrastructure gets major boost through US partnership

Kenya and the United States have embarked on a collaborative journey aimed towards digital innovation.

In a communique by the White House on Thursday, the two nations have struck a major deal which includes a Sh131 billion data centre by Microsoft and G42 will be built at the KenGen Green Energy Park at Olkaria.

"The government of Kenya and Microsoft have announced they are joining a partnership that plans to construct a 1-gigawatt data centre in Naivasha, Kenya," it partly reads.

The data centre will run on 100 per cent renewable geothermal power at the Olkaria Geothermal fields in Naivasha.

It will be run on Microsoft Azure cloud services and offer access to cloud-based applications and services to organisations and individuals in Kenya and East Africa – allowing the Government of Kenya to move its data and services to trusted vendors.

The Microsoft-G42 Olkaria data centre campus is scheduled to break ground in the third quarter of this year, with the East Africa Cloud Region expected to go live within 24 months.

It will be the second Tier IV Data Centre that KenGen Green Energy Park will be hosting after a groundbreaking ceremony last year with Konza Technopolis Development Authority in Olkaria.

Complementing Microsoft's efforts, Google has announced a transformative investment in digital connectivity through Africa Connect.

This initiative will establish the first intercontinental fibre optic route in the southern hemisphere, linking Kenya to the Asia Pacific region.

"The terrestrial portion of Africa Connect has regional breakout points which enable trusted connectivity from Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Google's Africa Cloud Region," reads the communique.

At the same time, the Government and Microsoft will continue to collaborate to enhance internet accessibility across the country.

This includes bringing last-mile wireless internet access to 20 million Kenyans and 50 million people across East Africa by the end of 2025.

Going further, the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) Partnership seeks to empower the youths in Kenya by fostering digital skills and literacy.

Through a substantial investment of Sh132 million in Kenya's Regional Leadership Center (RLC), DTA aims to nurture digital entrepreneurs and startups, thereby catalyzing inclusive economic growth across East Africa.

"This activity should inform additional DTA-YALI activities with other RLCs in Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa, benefiting young African leaders in 49 countries," the communique reads further.

In recognition of the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI), the United States and Kenya have established a Strategic Dialogue on AI.

According to the White House, the platform aims to facilitate collaboration in ensuring the development and deployment of secure and trustworthy AI systems.

"This dialogue focuses on spurring innovation, bolstering sustainable and inclusive economic growth, promoting digital transformation, overcoming digital divides, and advancing democracy, equity, and universal human rights," reads the statement.

The dialogue will also offer the opportunity to discuss and coordinate policies around the national security implications of AI and associated technologies.

The inaugural Strategic Dialogue on AI meeting is scheduled to take place later in the year.

To mark 60 years of Kenya-US relations, President William Ruto and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden emphasised the transformative potential of technological cooperation between the two countries.

The leaders expressed optimism about the future, highlighting the vital role of innovation in driving economic growth and societal progress.

Ruto and Biden on Wednesday acknowledged the crucial role of public-private partnerships in driving this technological revolution.

"We are expanding our footprint in the digital space. We are rolling out 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic in Kenya, and connecting every ward and every village to a fibre backbone. This will ensure that E-commerce, digital jobs, and digital learning are accessible to every child in Kenya," Ruto said.

In response, Biden said, "Our message is straightforward and simple. We're going to see more technological change in the next 10 years than we've seen in the last 50 years."