The event will attract global AI stakeholders
East Africa stands at a defining moment in its digital transformation journey, united by a shared ambition to convert fragmented innovation into scalable, transnational, and globally competitive AI infrastructure. With AI forecast to generate US$1.5 trillion in additional economic value across Africa by 2030, multilateral collaboration and coordinated action will determine whether East Africa merely consumes AI technologies or emerges as a leading architect of the continent’s AI economy.
Against this backdrop, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA – East Africa’s largest tech and AI launch event – stages the INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT, a strategic gathering where high-level stakeholders, including government leaders, global institutions, and industry pioneers, converge to shape a new AI blueprint that reflects Africa’s diversity, ingenuity, and economic aspirations.
Organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA takes place from 19–21 May 2026. The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT headlines the opening day programme on May 19, bringing together 400+ C-suite delegates, including CAIOs, CISOs, and big tech CEOs, alongside global investors and 20+ pan-African government officials.
With 30 percent international attendees, the summit represents the biggest gathering of global AI stakeholders at an East African event – reflecting the scale of a convening focused on shaping the future of AI in a manner that is inclusive, sovereign, and aligned with Africa’s long-term development priorities.
East Africa’s most consequential AI policy and leadership gathering
The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT opens under the theme ‘Future Built Home: Empowering Everyone Through AI’. As East Africa’s most senior AI and digital economy policy convening, participating high-level government leaders include Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology; Hon. Lee Kinyanjui, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade & Industry; and Dr. Nkundwe Mwasaga, Director General of Tanzania’s ICT Commission. Other notable attendees include Prof. Lourinho Chemane, Chairman of Mozambique’s ICT Regulatory Authority, and Dr. Pauline Tsafak, Director General for Postal, Telecommunications & ICT Regulation of Cameroon.
From access without privilege, sovereignty without walls, and food systems that feed the future, to AI governance, talent development, universal energy access, future-focused financing, and heavy AI use cases ready to scale now, the agenda will confront the defining debates shaping Africa’s AI trajectory.
Alongside government representatives from Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Tanzania, the Summit convenes globally recognised voices from organisations including the European Artificial Intelligence Office, Goldman Sachs, IBM, AGRA, and iXAfrica Data Centres to explore sovereign AI strategies, deployment models, and scalable use cases redefining Africa’s digital future.
Snehar Shah, CEO, iXAfrica Data Centres, said: “At iXAfrica Data Centres, we see AI as one of the most important forces shaping Africa’s next phase of digital and economic growth. But AI will not scale on ambition alone. It requires secure, resilient, high-density, well-connected, and energy-conscious infrastructure that can support cloud platforms, enterprise workloads, sovereign data, and emerging AI ecosystems.”
Architecting the next phase of sovereign AI innovation
The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT will also spotlight sovereign AI deployment success and purpose-built innovation from the leaders shaping a more inclusive digital future for Africa. As governments and enterprises increasingly prioritise control over data, compute, language models, and critical digital infrastructure, the Summit convenes pioneering organisations and policymakers demonstrating how AI can be built around African realities, languages, markets, and long-term development ambitions.
Among the featured speakers are influential policymakers and trade architects, including Louis Yaw Afful, Executive Director of the African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA) Policy Network, and H.E. Ms. Lerato Mataboge, Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission.
The Summit will also feature Winnie Mang’eni, CEO and Founder of PAWA AI, an Africa-built, Mozilla and NVIDIA-backed platform unlocking AI access for more than 200 million Swahili and other African language speakers. Leveraging advanced optimisation and quantisation techniques, PAWA AI enables governments, schools, and enterprises to train and deploy multilingual, domain-specific AI agents while reducing cloud dependency and strengthening data sovereignty.
Also speaking is Alessandro Curioni, VP Europe and Africa at IBM, a two-time Gordon Bell Prize winner and IBM Fellow advancing AI, high-performance computing, and emerging compute strategies across critical African digital infrastructure initiatives. He joins an expert panellist lineup featuring Frank Moreno Garcia, Chief AI Strategy Officer at the European Artificial Intelligence Office, who will share insights on ethics, governance, innovation, and the evolving challenges shaping East Africa’s pursuit of digital sovereignty, alongside Thule Lenneiye, Chief of Staff to the President at AGRA, an African-led institution focused on scaling agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers increase incomes, improve livelihoods, and strengthen food security.
Garcia said: “The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT represents a pivotal moment for East Africa. It brings together leaders, innovators and policymakers to accelerate responsible AI adoption across the region. What excites me most is the opportunity to explore how AI can strengthen local industries, empower entrepreneurs, and unlock new economic value. The summit creates a unique space for collaboration, where stakeholders can identify real opportunities to build inclusive, sustainable and future ready digital ecosystems.”
The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT will explore how AI can transform critical sectors across agriculture, banking and financial services, climate resilience, cybersecurity, data centre infrastructure, ecommerce, education, energy, healthcare, and trade – ensuring innovation remains accessible and relevant to African realities.
