The government has stepped up efforts to help Kenyan businesses tap into artificial intelligence (AI), saying the technology is increasingly transforming how companies market their products, engage customers and expand into new markets.
Speaking during a session of the Meta Transform with AI Programme, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy said equipping businesses with practical AI skills will be key to unlocking economic opportunities and strengthening the country’s digital economy.
ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary Eng. John Tanui was represented at the event by the Director of Digital Products and Services, Evan Gichuki, who served as the chief guest.
The programme, initiated in May 2026 in collaboration with Meta and other parties, aims at equipping entrepreneurs, small businesses, digital marketers and content creators with knowledge on using Meta’s AI-based advertisement services in order to improve their business performance.
The main emphasis of the training is on how the participants can make the operations more efficient, understand customer demands and market their products better using AI-based digital marketing solutions.
Representing the Principal Secretary, Gichuki explained that equipping SMEs with knowledge on how to use AI has become crucial in light of the increasing use of digital technologies by businesses as the means to stay competitive.
Empowering entrepreneurs and digital creators with the most advanced technologies is in line with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda aiming to stimulate innovation, job creation and enterprise development.
According to the government, the expanded use of AI solutions will allow businesses to increase efficiency, improve customer engagement and generate additional income sources in the digital economy.
Alongside the government officials, the discussion was attended by representatives of technology sector, such as Meta’s Lead for Policy Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Phil Oduor, and Chris Odongo who was representing WYLDE International and is the co-founder of of SNDBX.
There were physical and virtual attendees at the conference, who included business owners and digital experts, and the topics that emerged centered around the increasing use of AI within business, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship.
This is one of the latest efforts by the government and international tech companies to work together to foster digital skills among Kenyan businesses.