Kenya has recorded the highest AI adoption rate among surveyed African markets, with more than 35% of Kenyan organizations already achieving advanced or widespread AI implementation, according to a new report by Zoho conducted by Arion Research.
The report, titled “The AI Privacy Equation: Youthful Innovation Meets Privacy Leadership in Kenya,” found that businesses are prioritizing AI investment in customer service, cited by 54.8% of respondents, and software development, cited by 51.2%. Skills development is concentrated in data analysis, at 63.1%, and prompt engineering, at 44.2%. Zoho described Kenya as an emerging model for “youth-driven, privacy-conscious AI adoption” offering lessons for other emerging markets balancing innovation with data protection.
The findings come as Kenya prepares to host GITEX Kenya and AI Everything Kenya, a major global technology gathering scheduled for May 19-21. The three-day event will open with the Inclusive AI Summit at the Sarit Expo Centre before moving to the main expo and conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. Organizers expect more than 500 global enterprises and more than 10,000 technology executives to attend, with discussions covering AI, cybersecurity, fintech and agritech.
Kenya’s AI momentum is supported by the government’s National AI Strategy 2025-2030, which outlines a roadmap for leveraging the technology to drive socioeconomic development. A report by Ernst & Young indicates that the country’s evolving regulatory framework and investment environment are creating opportunities for AI growth in sectors including healthcare, agriculture, education, security and financial services.
AI is projected to contribute up to $2.4 billion to Kenya’s gross domestic product by 2030, with 68% of firms expected to fully adopt the technology by the end of 2026. GITEX’s expansion into Kenya is being interpreted as a signal of growing global confidence in the country’s role as a regional technology hub and a rising force in Africa’s digital economy.
