Dubai’s GITEX GLOBAL 2025 is turning the spotlight on East Africa as a rising force in the artificial intelligence landscape, with regional governments and private players leveraging the event to signal ambition across infrastructure, AI research and startup ecosystems.
More than 6,800 tech enterprises and 2,000 startups from 180 countries will convene in Dubai from 13 to 17 October under the GITEX banner, showcasing breakthroughs in biotech, robotics, quantum, semiconductors and sustainable data infrastructure. Alongside is Expand North Star, a startup showcase running on 12–15 October, which will facilitate meetings between emerging players and over 1,200 investors overseeing US $1.1 trillion in assets.
East African delegates arrive with new momentum. Kenya leads regional infrastructure development: its Digital Economy Blueprint sets cloud-native growth as a national priority; a $1 billion partnership between Microsoft and G42 will establish a cloud region and green data centre campus in Olkaria, powered by geothermal energy. The new cloud region is expected to go live within two years.
Meanwhile, Nxtra by Airtel Africa has broken ground on East Africa’s largest data centre in Tatu City, with planned capacity of 44 MW and GPU-ready architecture built to industrial grade. Officials suggest this facility will place Kenya firmly on the digital infrastructure map.
Strategic backbone agreements are also being struck. Digital Parks Africa has entered a tie-up with Kenya’s iXAfrica, which operates the country’s first hyperscale AI-ready data centre. The alliance seeks to deliver seamless cross-regional infrastructure, enabling multinational companies to tap data centre services across southern and eastern Africa through unified platforms.
These moves respond to towering demand: projections suggest East Africa could see over 100 MW of new data centre capacity by 2030, with Kenya accounting for nearly three-quarters of the build. External backing is evolving in tandem: the World Bank’s IFC has committed $100 million to Raxio, expanding data centre deployment across Ethiopia, Uganda and other markets.
On the startup front, AI innovation in the region is advancing in use cases. A hybrid voice assistant framework named Dukawalla, co-developed in Nairobi, enables small businesses to interact with analytics systems via voice commands—a helpful interface in low-literacy or mobile-first markets. In Ethiopia, health and agri-tech ventures are piloting AI-driven diagnostic and yield-increase tools; in Tanzania, logistics platforms are testing intelligent route planning. The continent already hosts more than 669 AI-focused firms according to an Afrilabs survey.
At GITEX, East African governments are negotiating grants, joint labs and training programs with global AI powers. Officials from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are expected among ministerial attendees. They aim to sign bilateral memoranda around data sovereignty, cloud trade and responsible AI.
Global players are pitching in. Google has accelerated its push into African AI by expanding subsea cable projects, cloud regions and upskilling programmes. At the same time, Microsoft and G42’s Kenya campus demonstrates how dual corporate-government deals can anchor technology ecosystems.
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