- East African Community (EAC) Partner States have agreed to establish a Regional AI Technologies Fund aimed at scaling research and innovation into commercially viable, bankable solutions that can drive economic transformation across the region.
- The Fund is expected to mobilize blended finance and attract private sector investment, creating a sustainable pipeline of funding for locally developed AI solutions.
- A central pillar of the agreement is a commitment to AI sovereignty. EAC countries plan to develop AI systems trained on East African data, operating in local languages such as Kiswahili, hosted on regional infrastructure and governed within the region.
- This approach is designed to reduce reliance on external technologies while strengthening control over data, standards and digital ecosystems.
- The declaration outlines plans to establish a Regional Centre of Excellence for Emerging Technologies to coordinate policy, research, infrastructure and skills development. It also proposes an EAC AI Alliance to connect governments, academia and industry in a unified innovation network.
- According to African Development Bank, inclusive AI deployment could generate up to $1 trillion in additional GDP across Africa by 2035 and create as many as 40 million digital jobs. The bank identifies the 2025–2027 period as a critical window for action.
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