NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 14 — Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from research laboratories into offices, factories, hospitals, banks and classrooms, transforming how businesses operate and redefining the skills employers expect from their workforce.

📻 Breaking It Down

PwC’s 2025 Africa Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey found that 64 per cent of workers across five African countries, including Kenya, used artificial intelligence in their jobs over the previous year, compared to a global average of 54 per cent. The African Union estimates AI could contribute up to USD1.5 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030.

For Kenya, the opportunity extends beyond adopting AI-powered tools. The country hopes to position itself as a regional technology hub capable of developing and exporting AI-driven solutions.

Whether it achieves that ambition will depend heavily on people.

📌 What You Need to Know

The next generation of software engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, AI researchers and digital technicians will determine whether Kenya becomes a creator of artificial intelligence or remains largely a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.

That places universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions at the centre of the country’s digital transformation.

The question is whether Kenya’s education system is moving fast enough to prepare graduates for an economy being reshaped by AI.

Unlike previous technological shifts, artificial intelligence is evolving at extraordinary speed.

Generative AI platforms now assist with software development, financial analysis, customer service, content creation and scientific research, while employers increasingly seek graduates with skills in machine learning, cloud computing, data engineering and AI ethics alongside traditional programming.

Yet university curricula can take years to review and implement, creating a potential mismatch between what students learn and what employers need.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya