---
title: "Kenya Puts Tech Diplomacy At Center Of Foreign Policy"
description: "Kenya says science, innovation and technology diplomacy is now central to its foreign policy, as it urges Africa to build local tech capabilities."
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markdown_url: "https://liners.com/news/kenya-tech-diplomacy-foreign-policy-atlc-initiatives.md"
type: "article"
language: "en"
published_at: "2026-10-26T15:00:49.793Z"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T15:00:49.797Z"
---

# Kenya Puts Tech Diplomacy At Center Of Foreign Policy

Kenya says science, innovation and technology diplomacy is now central to its foreign policy, as it urges Africa to build local tech capabilities.

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## In Short
Kenya has made science, innovation and technology diplomacy central to its foreign policy, according to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

He said Africa should build its own technological capabilities rather than rely on imports.

## What Happened: Kenya’s Tech Diplomacy Message At ATLC 2026
Kenya made the case at the Africa Technology Leadership Conference (ATLC) in Nairobi.

Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said, “Africa must move from adopting technology to building technological power. We cannot build technological sovereignty on imported knowledge alone.”

Mudavadi said economies that lead in advanced technology invest “consistently in researchers, universities, laboratories and institutions that move knowledge from discovery into action.”

The two-day conference was held at Eka Hotel on October 22 and 23. It drew more than 500 delegates from over 30 countries, including government officials, diplomats, investors, researchers and technology executives.

Delegates discussed how African countries can align positions on artificial intelligence, which is software that can generate outputs like text or predictions from data. They also discussed data governance, meaning rules for how data is handled and controlled, and digital standards.

Prof Shaukat Abdulrazak, Principal Secretary for Science, Research and Innovation, said, “The conversations convened here move beyond aspiration towards rigorous execution and measurable socio-economic impact.”

## Why It Matters: New Initiatives To Commercialise Research And Build AI
The Africa Technology Leadership Forum, which organises the conference, announced three initiatives.

The first is a Continental Innovation Center to help commercialise research and build deep-tech ventures, meaning startups built on hard-to-engineer science and technology. Firm INVIGENCE is seeking investors, financial institutions and development agencies as partners. Applications for its first cohort are open to AI researchers, data scientists, developers and start-ups across Africa.

The second is the Sauti Umoja AI Challenge, which will fund the development of AI language models built for African languages and dialects. It is being run with the GSMA’s ATLAS Umoja AI initiative.

The third is a programme of policy labs and dialogues running through 2027, leading to a continental conference in Kenya next year.

Dr Kenneth Rotich, chief executive of INVIGENCE, said, “As artificial intelligence reshapes global economies, Africa must not be left behind or forced into generic models that overlook our rich linguistic and cultural diversity.”

## Sources and products

- [Tech Trends KE](https://techtrendske.co.ke/2026/10/26/kenya-puts-tech-diplomacy-at-heart-of-foreign-policy)

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