Kenya signs MoU with Huawei to promote digital transformation

The Kenyan government has entered into an agreement with Huawei Technologies that will see the two parties collaborate on the development of the country’s ICT infrastructure, promote the digitization of various sectors of the country, such as transportation, e-government, education, digital energy among others.

Additionally, the two parties agreed to continue to cultivate digital skills and knowledge sharing to enable Kenyan youth to be job-ready.

Speaking when he visited Huawei's Beijing Executive Briefing Center (EBC), President William Ruto recognised the urgent need to develop a green, digital and creative economy in Kenya.

"In this regard, we therefore regard Huawei as a reliable partner of Kenya in terms of improving digital infrastructure, with its pioneering strength in ICT technologies driven by its heavy R&D investment. We look forward to strengthening the partnership for more positive outcomes of ICT infrastructure construction and industrial digitalization,” said President Ruto.

Chairman of Huawei's Board of Directors, Mr. Liang Hua said Huawei is ready to work more closely with the Kenyan government to grow the digital and creative economy in the country.

“Huawei hopes to facilitate Kenya's development in fields like the ICT connectivity infrastructure, national data center and solar power generation. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to improving young Kenyans' digital skills and literacy," said Mr Hua.

He added: "Huawei values openness, collaboration and win-win results. We will enhance investment in the R&D of cutting-edge technologies across connectivity, computing and digital power. Our team will work with local customers and partners to make greater contributions to the digital economy in Kenya.”

Since starting operations in Kenya in 2003, Huawei has been dedicated to boosting ICT infrastructure, providing digital services, and promoting digital skills in the country.

The global ICT leader supported the construction of computing power infrastructure including National Optical Fiber Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) and the KONZA National Data Center.

Huawei also supported Safaricom in launching the first 5G network in East Africa in 2021. Besides, Huawei has long been a firm supporter of Kenya’s inclusive development and digital skills agenda, contributing to Kenya's inclusive finance innovations such as the M-PESA and the Hustler-fund, and has provided digital skills training to about 10,000 Kenyan people in the past year.