Team Blitz India
In a bid to foster technological advancement and bridge the digital gap across Africa, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is eyeing substantial investments in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) services in Kenya.
Both nations have inked an investment memorandum, signalling their intent to propel digital infrastructure and AI initiatives forward. The agreement, sealed by UAE’s Minister of Investment, Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, and Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary at Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, aims to forge a robust synergy between public and private sector entities from both nations.
This collaboration seeks to facilitate joint endeavours in digital infrastructure projects. It envisions the potential development of data centre projects with a collective capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts. Furthermore, the memorandum outlines plans to evaluate the technical and investment prospects of cultivating large language models in the realm of AI.
While talking about the transformative potential of these investments, Alsuwaidi said, “Through targeted investments in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, this Investment Memorandum is set to accelerate the development of a sector that has the potential to become a growth driver for other industries, setting out a vision for the future defined by prosperity and progress.”
Kenya’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector has witnessed remarkable growth, growing remarkably at an annual expansion rate of 23% over the past decade. As East Africa’s largest economy, Kenya stands as an attractive destination for data centre providers.
In 2023, bilateral non-oil trade between the UAE and Kenya surged to $3.1 billion, marking a notable 26.4% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based AI powerhouse G42 is poised to extend its footprint into Africa this year, recognising the continent as a pivotal component of its geographical expansion strategy. Kiril Evtimov, G42’s Group Chief Technology Officer, outlined the company’s plans to bolster capabilities in financial services solutions, government services, and the SME sector.
