President William Ruto has challenged African countries to fully embrace digital technology and invest in modern education systems if the continent is to achieve meaningful economic transformation.
Speaking during the opening sessions of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on Monday, Ruto said Africa’s future prosperity would depend on how quickly countries adopt technology, strengthen digital infrastructure and equip young people with the right skills for the modern economy.
“We must make sure we have appropriate digital infrastructure across our countries,” Ruto said during a panel discussion attended by African leaders, investors, innovators and policy makers.
The President said Kenya had already made significant progress in building a digital economy and was now positioning itself as a regional technology and innovation hub.
“We are manufacturing in Kenya a lot of digital assets, phones and computers,” he said.
Ruto noted that Kenya had invested heavily in connectivity infrastructure to support digital transformation across different sectors of the economy.
“We have laid fibre optics of some 30,000 kilometres in Kenya,” he said, adding that internet connectivity was critical in supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and access to information.
The President said African countries must now focus on knowledge acquisition and reforming education systems to align with the demands of the digital age.
“There is every reason why we should have the right knowledge acquisition,” he said.
“We need to fine tune the whole ecosystem around education.”
Ruto said Kenya had already reviewed its education curriculum and shifted towards a competency-based system aimed at producing graduates with practical and market-driven skills.
“In Kenya, we have had to review the education system and make it competence-based,” he said.
According to the President, the government has placed greater emphasis on science and technology-related learning.
“Sixty per cent of our education is now targeted at STEM subjects,” he said.
He urged African governments to invest more resources in education, skills development and innovation if the continent is to fully benefit from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
“We must invest more in education, the right skills and the right competency,” Ruto said.
The Head of State also highlighted Kenya’s growing attractiveness as a destination for global technology companies and outsourcing firms.
He revealed that the Ministry of ICT was actively working to position Kenya as a gateway for global digital investments into Africa.
“The Ministry of ICT is looking at how to bring the rest of the world to Kenya to experience what we are doing,” he said.
“We are making sure that some of the best companies in the world come to participate with us.”
Ruto pointed to the rapid growth of Kenya’s Business Process Outsourcing sector, saying the country was increasingly attracting major global firms because of its youthful workforce and improving infrastructure.
“Last year, the largest Business Process Outsourcing company in the world set up in Kenya,” he said.
“We have many BPOs in Kenya because we have young people with the right skill, the right infrastructure and a very entrepreneurial population.”
The President said technology and artificial intelligence would define the next phase of global economic growth and Africa could not afford to be left behind.
The summit, jointly hosted by Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron, is taking place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and the University of Nairobi on May 11 and 12.
