GENEVA, Switzerland — Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has urged the international community to ensure artificial intelligence (AI) advances shared prosperity rather than widening inequalities between developed and developing nations.
Speaking at the inaugural United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva, Kabogo delivered Kenya’s national statement on behalf of President William Ruto and the Republic of Kenya, outlining the country’s vision for equitable and practical AI governance.
“Kenya’s approach to this Dialogue is practical. Artificial intelligence must expand opportunity and prosperity for all countries and must not deepen existing divides,” Kabogo said.
Bridging the AI divide
Kabogo told delegates that many developing countries continue to face significant barriers in accessing AI technologies, particularly in computing infrastructure, data availability and language representation.
He called for global cooperation that goes beyond policy principles to tangible implementation measures.
“For many developing countries, that divide is felt in compute, data and language. We called for cooperation that moves from principles to implementation: affordable compute, open and representative datasets, stronger skills and fair financing for the institutions that must govern and deploy AI safely,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary stressed that equitable access to AI resources would enable more countries to benefit from emerging technologies while strengthening responsible innovation.
Showcasing Kenya’s digital progress
Kabogo also highlighted Kenya’s ongoing digital transformation initiatives, citing the expansion of the eCitizen platform, which now provides more than 22,000 government services to over 13 million users.
He said the government has also launched the Government Interoperability Framework to enable seamless integration of digital systems across public institutions, improving service delivery and efficiency.
On capacity building, Kabogo noted that Kenya has partnered with UNESCO and the University of Oxford to train 20,000 public officers in the application of artificial intelligence in government by 2027.
He further announced that Kenya is among five countries participating in an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) pilot programme introducing artificial intelligence and robotics education in schools.
Kenya’s global role
Kabogo said Kenya continues to play an active role in shaping international digital governance, including serving as co-facilitator of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 review process.
He reaffirmed Kenya’s support for the United Nations as the principal global platform for coordinating AI governance and developing inclusive international frameworks.
“Kenya helped build this consensus as co-facilitator of the WSIS+20 review, and we will keep contributing so that the United Nations remains the central space for coordinating AI governance, and so that the benefits of AI belong to all,” he said.
The inaugural UN Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance has brought together governments, international organisations, technology experts and policymakers to discuss the future regulation, development and deployment of AI technologies worldwide, with a focus on innovation, inclusion and responsible governance.