NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya has emerged as Africa’s leader in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and data privacy governance, according to a new report by global technology company ZOHO.
The study shows that 96 per cent of Kenyan organisations have already embarked on their AI journey — the highest rate on the continent — a trend largely attributed to the country’s young and tech-driven leadership.
Despite challenges such as a shortage of technical expertise (48.8 per cent), Kenyan firms are finding creative ways to innovate through strategic partnerships and custom-built AI solutions, with nearly half (47.2 per cent) using AI-embedded enterprise tools.
On the data privacy front, Kenya also outperformed its regional peers, with 82.1 per cent of organisations enhancing user data protection following AI integration — the highest rate recorded in Africa.
The report attributes this success to Kenya’s Data Protection Act, which has heightened regulatory awareness and compliance across both private and public sectors.
“The Kenya Data Protection Act has catalysed widespread regulatory awareness,” the report notes, adding that media, government websites, and internal training have been key in spreading privacy knowledge.
Nearly all firms (94 per cent) now have dedicated privacy officers or teams, while two-thirds conduct regular privacy audits.
Over half (53.8 per cent) allocate at least 20 per cent of their IT budgets to privacy protection, enabling advanced governance practices such as quarterly privacy impact assessments and pre-implementation reviews for new systems.
ZOHO’s findings position Kenya as a model for youth-driven, privacy-conscious AI innovation, offering lessons for other emerging markets on balancing technological progress with strong regulatory safeguards.
Customer service (54.8 per cent) and software development (51.2 per cent) remain top AI investment priorities for local companies, while AI literacy is rapidly rising, with 63.1 per cent of firms training staff in data analysis and 44.2 per cent in prompt engineering — essential skills for generative AI.
The report urges Kenyan organisations to leverage their youthful leadership advantage to close existing skills gaps and strengthen partnerships that boost technical capacity.
It also calls on the government and regulators to sustain a policy environment that supports innovation while maintaining public trust, and for international investors to back Kenya’s growing AI ecosystem through funding and knowledge-sharing.
“Kenya’s experience offers valuable insights for countries seeking to balance rapid AI growth with strong privacy safeguards,” ZOHO concludes.
