Kenya Unveils AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative at Huawei Cloud Summit 2025
Kenya Unveils AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative at Huawei Cloud Summit 2025
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE) officially launched the Kenya AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative during the Huawei Cloud Kenya Summit 2025 held in Nairobi https://www.huawei.com/ke/.
Themed “Accelerate Intelligence, Ignite Smart Kenya,” the summit brought together more than 500 customers and partners from across the country. The gathering aimed to explore how AI and cloud technologies can accelerate digital transformation and intelligent industry upgrades.
Driving Kenya’s Smart Transformation with AI and Cloud
In her keynote address, Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Service, emphasized the urgency of adopting AI and cloud technologies. “The best time to develop Cloud and AI is now! For young Kenya, talent is the key,” she said. She also noted Huawei’s plans to upgrade the existing ICT training program with newer technologies and a focus on sustainability.
Gao Fei, CEO of Huawei Kenya, highlighted Huawei’s 27-year partnership with Kenya, evolving from network infrastructure to today’s work in enterprise, cloud, and digital power. He reaffirmed Huawei’s commitment to building a smart future by working closely with customers and partners.
Kenya Unveils AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative at Huawei Cloud Summit 2025
Mr. Washington Okoth, Secretary for ICT Infrastructure at MICDE, expressed Kenya’s ambition to lead in AI development across Africa. He underlined the country’s focus on building AI infrastructure, supporting research and innovation, and developing a strong data ecosystem. He also announced the official release of the Kenya Cloud Policy, which prioritizes transitioning from traditional data centers to modern cloud platforms.
Collaborations, Solutions, and the Path Forward
The summit marked the launch of the Kenya AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative—a national call to action. It aims to unite stakeholders across sectors to drive intelligent transformation.
Key partners present included Konza Technopolis, Co-operative Bank, Kenya Power, KURA, ABSA Bank, Royal Media Services, Kilimall, and the University of Nairobi. These partners pledged to collaborate on AI and cloud solutions to power innovation, improve services, and unlock economic growth.
Huawei also unveiled several new offerings. Roc Bai, Director of Huawei Cloud Sub-Saharan Africa, introduced Huawei Cloud Stack 8.5 (HCS8.5) and an upgraded DataArts platform. HCS8.5 offers hybrid cloud and intelligent solutions for government and enterprises, supporting localized deployment. The new DataArts platform shifts from a data-centric to a knowledge-centric foundation, increasing AI training efficiency.
Frank Shi, Managing Director of Huawei Cloud Kenya, announced five industry-specific solutions tailored for government, finance, telecom, media, and e-commerce. These aim to meet local needs using Huawei’s global expertise.
Aka Dai, Director of Huawei Cloud Marketing, spotlighted the company’s “Cloud for Good” program. He shared success stories from sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and nature conservation, emphasizing Huawei’s goal to make AI and cloud technologies part of inclusive and sustainable development.
With the Kenya AI & Cloud Pioneer Initiative underway, the country is taking bold steps toward becoming a regional leader in intelligent transformation.
