Kenya, Anthropic strike historic AI deal at UNGA

President William Ruto is leading Kenya’s delegation to the 81st United Nations General Assembly, underscoring the country’s commitment to advancing Africa’s voice on peace, development and digital transformation. 

The President has consistently tied AI to regional and global partnerships, stressing that Kenya and Africa must pool resources, talent and infrastructure to capture value across the AI chain rather than remain dependent on external systems.

Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’Oei signed for Kenya, while Elizabeth Kelly, Head of Beneficial Deployments at Anthropic, signed for the company. The ceremony was witnessed by Anthropic’s Global Impact Lead, Amb. Courtney O’Donnell, and Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, Amb. Philip Thigo.

Following the signing, PS Sing’Oei thanked Ambassador Philip Thigo for his role in driving the partnership. “Thank you Ambassador Thigo for driving this strategic partnership with Anthropic,” PS Sing’Oei wrote.

The agreement covers AI skills and capacity building, research, responsible public-sector applications, AI safety and evaluation, as well as real-world applications in education and health. The next phase will focus on pilots, research initiatives and training programmes involving Kenyan institutions.

The partnership will also see the two parties co-create initiatives, build local capacity, test AI applications and scale successful programmes in line with Kenyan law. It further seeks to ensure frontier AI technologies are developed and applied in ways that reflect Kenya’s institutions, languages, development priorities and public interest.

The agreement includes safeguards on data sovereignty, with any future programme involving access to, processing of, or use of data governed by Kenyan law, including data protection, cybersecurity and public-sector requirements. The declaration does not affect Kenya’s authority over its public data or the obligations of government institutions to protect personal and sensitive information.

The next phase will translate the framework into specific pilots, institutional partnerships, research initiatives and capacity-building programmes in collaboration with relevant government institutions. Coordination of the partnership will sit under the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

The deal follows months of engagement between Kenya and Anthropic. Ambassador Thigo began discussions with the company in June 2026, including calls with Kelly, before travelling to Silicon Valley where he met CEO Dario Amodei and pushed Nairobi’s vision of responsible AI deployment.

“Kenya has an opportunity to help shape a different model for working with frontier AI companies, one built on co-creation, trust, safety by design, local capability and a shared commitment to improving the human condition,” Thigo said after the Silicon Valley meetings.

On September 3, 2026, ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary Eng. John Tanui met with an Anthropic delegation led by O’Donnell, with discussions focusing on AI skills for public servants, SMEs, cybersecurity and pilot projects. PS Tanui emphasized that Kenya had already made significant investments in digital talent and was reinforcing its policy framework through the Kenya AI Strategy 2025–2030 and the ongoing AI and Emerging Technologies Policy.

The signing forms part of Kenya’s wider technology diplomacy agenda of striking strategic partnerships with global tech firms, research institutions and governments to shape emerging technologies for public benefit.