By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Kenya has proposed that
willing African Union (AU) member states test a cross-border public service as
part of efforts to accelerate the development of Africa’s artificial
intelligence and data infrastructure.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary
for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo Gitau,
made the proposal in New York on Monday during the AUC–Google High-Level
Ministerial Roundtable on Accelerating Africa’s AI and Data Infrastructure, held
on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
Drawing on Kenya’s
experience with more than 22,500 services available through eCitizen and its
Government Interoperability Framework, Kabogo proposed that participating AU
member states jointly test one cross-border public service and report the
results by February 2027.
The proposal is aimed at
demonstrating how digital public services and interoperable government systems
can work across national borders while supporting broader efforts to strengthen
Africa’s digital infrastructure.
Kabogo said Kenya regulates
artificial intelligence in proportion to risk, while supporting trusted
cross-border data flows backed by clear safeguards.
He also said Kenya is ready
to partner with other African countries in building reliable digital services
across the continent.
The minister’s participation
in the high-level ministerial roundtable formed part of wider discussions among
African ministers on accelerating the development of AI and data
infrastructure, with a focus on strengthening digital systems and cooperation
across the continent.
Kenya’s experience with
eCitizen and its Government Interoperability Framework was presented as a basis
for exploring how similar approaches could support cross-border digital public
services among willing AU member states.
The proposed pilot would
provide participating countries with an opportunity to test such cooperation
and assess its results ahead of the February 2027 reporting deadline.
