Kenya is set to host the Connected Africa Summit 2025 next week at a Diani hotel.
The event starting from 26th to 29th May, organized by the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy and the ICT Authority of Kenya, is poised to reaffirm Kenya’s status as the continent’s leading platform for digital transformation dialogue.
With over 2,000 participants expected from across government, academia, business, and development sectors, the Summit is shaping up to be a defining moment in Africa’s digital transformation journey.
The event will spotlight local innovation through an Innovation Village, offering a platform for homegrown startups and developers to showcase solutions.
Additionally, the Smart Government Zone will present transformative public sector digital projects from across Africa. Curated networking sessions will provide opportunities for strategic partnerships, investment dialogue, and meaningful collaborations.
Spanning four days, the summit will feature high-level plenaries, executive roundtables, sector-specific breakout sessions, and targeted policy dialogues.
The agenda will cover key themes such as artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, fintech, health tech, and digital public services.
Principal Secretary State Department of ICT and Digital Economy John Tanui, speaking during a press briefing in a Nairobi hotel on Monday, said the Summit will provide a platform for conversations around technology and its importance in forging Africa’s digital future.
The PS said that the Summit will build on the momentum of past editions to chart actionable pathways for leveraging technology to address the continent’s challenges and unlock transformative opportunities.
“We want to know how we can help as a government to the private sector in our efforts to develop Africa’s digital transformation agenda,” he said.
The PS said that the Summit will provide a platform to local and regional innovators and businesses for growth and will also provide an opportunity to review the progress of implementation of the Nairobi Declaration.
CEO of the ICT Authority of Kenya, Stanley Kamanguya, emphasized the importance of collaboration in driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda, which is the main driver behind the Connected Africa Summit.
He said: “The collaboration that we continue to see from our partners in the private sector, is a true testament of the belief and endorsement to our digital transformation agenda in the country and the continent as a whole. “Let’s continue collaborating and supporting each other and create an environment that enables us to all thrive.”
Country Manager of CISCO Shain Rahim said that this is the third year that they are participating in this event, and the main reason is because it brings the government and the private sector together.
“We all know that AI is a buzzword, and we look forward to sharing how CISCO is modernizing security in the AI world,” said Rahim.
Other sponsors who have come in to support the event include Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Fortinet, KCB, Safaricom Plc, and Silicon.
By Anita Omwenga
