Kenya’s State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy has held a strategic engagement with a delegation from the European Union, the German Embassy, GIZ and EstDev to advance the second phase of the Digital Transformation Center Kenya (DTC II) programme.
The meeting, hosted by Principal Secretary Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui focused on the evolving DTC II strategic framework and ways to deepen collaboration in support of Kenya’s digital transformation priorities through a whole-of-government approach.
The European delegation comprised Matthew Brooke, Team Leader for Governance, and Milou Vanmulken, Project Manager for Digitalization, both from the EU in Kenya; Friederike Hemke, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Kenya; Christin, Programme Director for the Digital Transformation Center Kenya; Victoria Nkatha, Regional Projects Lead at Estonian Centre for International Development; and Paul Musau from Expertise France.
According to Tanui, the talks surfaced encouraging progress on emerging partnerships with European digital ecosystem players, including efforts to strengthen open-source innovation, expand business process outsourcing opportunities and foster deeper private sector engagement between Kenya and Europe. He said the engagements reflect growing international confidence in Kenya’s position as a regional digital hub and investment destination.
Discussions centred on three pillars guiding the programme’s development. The first, Global Digital Jobs, targets Kenya’s capacity to create high-value digital employment, build digital skills, support export-ready technology enterprises and position the country as a destination for global digital services.
The second pillar covers artificial intelligence, data protection and data governance, supporting implementation of Kenya’s emerging digital governance frameworks, promoting trusted AI adoption and advancing conditions for trusted cross-border data flows and international digital trade.
The third, Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Public Goods, focuses on foundational systems enabling interoperability, digital identity, digital payments, secure data exchange and seamless delivery of public services.
The engagement also underscored the importance of strengthening trusted digital ecosystems and regulatory alignment in support of Kenya’s pursuit of an EU Adequacy Decision. Tanui said achieving this milestone would strengthen confidence in Kenya’s data protection framework, facilitate trusted cross-border data flows, expand opportunities in digital trade and business process outsourcing, and reinforce Kenya’s position as a leading digital hub on the continent.
“A key takeaway from the engagement was the shared commitment to strengthening coordination across government institutions while leveraging international partnerships to accelerate implementation, innovation, and investment in Kenya’s digital economy,” Tanui said, adding that the focus remains on aligning with national priorities and translating strategy into practical interventions that deliver measurable outcomes for citizens, businesses and institutions.
DTC II builds on the original Digital Transformation Center Kenya partnership, which has supported the country’s shift from digital policy development to implementation.
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