East Africa urged to accelerate AI roadmap

by MARIA MACHARIA
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – AN executive has encouraged the East African bloc to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to improve education systems in the region.

Dr Fortunate Muyambi, the Deputy Executive Secretary: Head of Programmes and Projects at the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), was addressing delegates at the ongoing East African Community (EAC) Regional Education Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

At the event, which concludes on Friday (today), partner states made a commitment to strengthening education systems, improving learning outcomes and increasing investment in teachers, skills and equity.

Muyambi on Thursday delivered a keynote titled, “From Innovation to Impact: Bridging Academia, Industry and Government for AI-Driven Digital Transformation in East Africa.”

He recommended that EAC states translate the EAC AI Strategy into nationally owned implementation roadmaps and operationalise the Regional AI Network of Universities.

“Develop common regional AI competency and credential frameworks,” Muyambi proposed to representatives of the states.

“Strengthen pathways from learning and innovation to employment and application, coordinate investment in enabling infrastructure, strengthen regional research and data collaboration and establish common results and monitoring indicators.”

The EAC validated its regional AI Strategy (2026–2031) in May 2026 to harmonise technology policies, build digital skills and drive innovation across member states.

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) launched the Regional AI Network of Universities to link higher education institutions across EAC states into a distributed network of specialised AI nodes.

The four-day conference in Nairobi has brought together more than 600 education leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from the eight EAC partner states to address persistent learning gaps, unequal access to education, skills mismatches and growing pressure on education systems.

The EAC’s membership consists of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

EASTECO coordinates and promotes the development, management and application of science, technology and innovation across member states.

– CAJ News