East African Community member states have agreed to establish a Regional AI Technologies Fund and adopted a declaration committing the bloc to coordinated action on artificial intelligence, with a strong emphasis on sovereignty, infrastructure and skills development.
The EAC Declaration on Artificial Intelligence was adopted at the fourth EAC Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, which convened ministers, policymakers, researchers, private sector leaders and development partners to align on how AI can support socio-economic development across the region.
The fund is expected to mobilize blended finance and attract private sector investment, creating a sustainable pipeline of funding for locally developed AI solutions and scaling research and innovation into commercially viable outcomes.
A central pillar of the declaration is a commitment to AI sovereignty. EAC countries plan to develop AI systems trained on East African data, operating in local languages such as Kiswahili, hosted on regional infrastructure and governed within the region — reducing reliance on external technologies while strengthening control over data, standards and digital ecosystems.
The declaration also outlines plans to establish a Regional Centre of Excellence for Emerging Technologies to coordinate policy, research, infrastructure and skills development, and proposes an EAC AI Alliance to connect governments, academia and industry in a unified innovation network.
East African Science and Technology Commission Executive Secretary Sylvance Okoth said shared investments in high-performance computing, data centers, cloud systems and connectivity will be critical to enabling AI adoption and reducing duplication of effort across countries.
Human capital development emerged as a key focus. The declaration calls for harmonized AI curricula, regional certification frameworks and stronger technical and vocational training systems to build a workforce capable of supporting AI-driven economies.
In a complementary initiative, EASTECO and the African Union Development Agency have already awarded $160,000 to 16 youth- and women-led startups through the COYWA program, with each enterprise receiving $10,000 alongside incubation, mentorship and access to regional networks. The AI4EAC Innovation Challenge engaged more than 3,800 students from 110 universities, with prizes including $30,000, internships and computing resources.
The African Development Bank estimates that inclusive AI deployment could generate up to $1 trillion in additional GDP across Africa by 2035 and create as many as 40 million digital jobs, identifying the 2025-2027 period as a critical window for action.
The conference was organized by EASTECO and the Inter-University Council for East Africa, with support from UNESCO, the European Union and the Science for Africa Foundation.
