Nairobi AI Forum 2026 backs 130 innovators, targets 45 million AI jobs by 2035

The announcement marked a significant milestone for Africa’s AI ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on cross-continental partnerships aimed at advancing climate resilience, food security, and digital inclusion.

Co-organised by the governments of Kenya and Italy, in collaboration with UNDP and key international partners, the forum brought together more than 500 leaders, policymakers, investors, researchers, and technologists from Africa, Europe, and G7 countries.

A centrepiece of the forum was the allocation of 1.5 million GPU compute hours, provided by Cineca, AWS, and Microsoft, to empower youth-led startups and private sector innovators to develop green, sovereign AI infrastructure aligned with Africa’s development priorities.

Italy’s Ambassador to Kenya, Vincenzo Del Monaco, said the initiative reflects a commitment to action-oriented cooperation:

“We are fully engaged in transforming dialogue into delivery, distributing 1.5 million GPU hours and establishing a clear roadmap ahead of the Italy–Africa Summit.”

ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, alongside representatives from the EU, India, and the United States, underscored the emergence of a new era of dynamic public–private partnerships and large-scale infrastructure investment to embed AI across education, agriculture, and energy sectors.

Italy’s Minister of University and Research, Senator Anna Maria Bernini, highlighted the strategic importance of skills development and research:

“Strengthening skills, training and research is the strategic choice to support innovation, technological sovereignty and inclusive progress in Africa.”

She added that the Nairobi AI Forum demonstrates how collaborative education and knowledge exchange, anchored in the Italy–Africa Mattei Plan, can foster sustainable AI ecosystems that leave no one behind.

Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, praised the shift “beyond traditional aid towards the co-creation of future economic capability,” noting that the emerging Intelligence Economy will be driven by “compute infrastructure, sovereign talent, shared innovation, and the translation of research into industrial production.”

The forum’s most ambitious outcome was the launch of the AI 10 Billion Initiative, co-designed with the African Development Bank and private sector partners, to mobilise up to US$10 billion in phased investments. The funding will support AI entrepreneurship, build regional data and compute infrastructure, deepen advanced technical skills, and help shape continental AI policy frameworks — with the potential to generate up to 45 million jobs by 2035.

Other major outcomes included the launch of the Harmonic Africa Startup Acceleration Programme, which will provide AI startups with capital, technical support, and market access, particularly in agriculture, health, education, and energy.

The forum also unveiled a space-enabled AI initiative through a public–private partnership involving Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, the Kenya Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, NASA Harvest, FAO, Microsoft, and the AI Hub. The collaboration will develop a national geospatial data platform to improve crop mapping, yield forecasting, and early climate-risk alerts.

In addition, the Cybersecurity Readiness Initiative for African AI Startups was launched, led by Cyber 4.0 and the AI Hub in partnership with Cisco Nairobi. The programme aims to promote secure-by-design AI systems and strengthen local cybersecurity talent to build trusted and resilient AI solutions across the continent.

The Nairobi AI Forum 2026 marks a turning point for Africa’s digital future, positioning the continent not merely as a consumer of AI technologies, but as a co-creator and emerging global leader poised to harness AI for sustainable development and inclusive economic transformation.