Calls have intensified for African nations to coordinate efforts to scale up the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to spur inclusive economic development.
Speaking during the Africa Premier AI Conference (APAIC2025) in Mombasa, Secretary of ICT, E-Government, and Digital Economy in the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, Mary Kerema noted that Africa stands on the cusp of a new era – a “Decade of Intelligence.”
She called on African leaders, innovators, and partners to shape a digital future rooted in African values, talent, and global collaboration.
“Our populations are young, our entrepreneurs bold, and our society’s hungry for opportunity. But the promise of artificial intelligence is not automatic. It requires intention, investment, and a commitment to ensuring that AI serves African priorities, not the other way around,” stated the ICT Secretary.
The four-day conference, the continent’s leading forum for AI dialogue, policy, and innovation, brings together leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society to define Africa’s role in the global digital transformation.
The conference, Kerema noted, offers an opportunity for the continent to discern the kind of digital future it wants, not merely a marketplace for technology, but a laboratory of innovation, a builder of solutions, and a shaper of global standards.
The ICT Secretary further admitted that the continent faces infrastructure gaps, skills shortages, and the pressing need for harmonized policies.
“Many of our urban and rural communities still lack reliable internet or affordable devices. Our data often sits in silos, and too many technologies are built elsewhere, for other realities,” she revealed.
“But let us also be clear-eyed about our strengths: Africa’s diversity, resilience, and creativity are unmatched. Our local entrepreneurs are designing payment platforms that leapfrog old systems, AI-driven health tools, and educational innovations that empower the next generation. Where others see problems, Africans see potential,” she added.
However, she noted that a new digital spirit is fast rising across the continent as nations are not simply importing solutions but are co-creating them.
She lauded local engineers for collaborating with world-class data scientists in adopting global technology and testing the solutions in the local communities in a bid to refine and improve them to fit.
The ICT Secretary pointed out that some of the most advanced digital agents and AI platforms being pioneered today in Africa are intentionally designed for inclusivity, explainability, and ethical impact.
“These systems are developed to empower rather than replace our teachers, health workers, public servants, and entrepreneurs. They respect privacy, support multiple languages, and promote human agency. These platforms are born of partnership, not prescription.”
Bill Faruki, Founder and CEO of MindHYVE.ai, a leading USA AI Innovation company which co-sponsored the conference, introduced the company’s groundbreaking framework, Agentic AI, a new paradigm for intelligent systems designed to empower users through autonomy, explainability, and ethical alignment.
Faruki emphasised that Agentic AI reflects Africa’s values of collaboration and inclusivity, providing tools for governments, enterprises, and communities to design, configure, and own their digital future.
He noted that most AI systems are built for efficiency, not equity, exhorting Africans to develop their own systems through public-private-AI partnerships as imported AI equals imported bias, exclusion and opacity.
“We need contextual, sovereign, culturally aligned systems. Let’s not wait for global frameworks to trickle down. Let’s design what the world adopts next,” said Faruki, adding “Let’s make this one decade of intelligence.”
By Sadik Hassan
