(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Kenya's presidential adviser on digital transformation has warned governments against rushing to regulate artificial intelligence, saying premature laws could stifle the innovation that is already transforming African economies.“The idea is that you do not rush to legislate,” said Philip Thigo, Presidential Advisor on Digital Transformation in the Office of the President of Kenya.“You have to let people thrive - you don't get anywhere without trying.”

Speaking during the Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit, Thigo said Kenya's experience shows that policy should follow innovation - not precede it.“We are very able to leverage existing infrastructure, even when we build our own,” he said.“We're not waiting for infrastructure - we build on that.”

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Thigo described Kenya as a“proof-of-scale” country where local developers are designing solutions that reach real users, rather than remaining in pilot stages.“A majority of these young folks do not even have a university degree, yet they are building applications for hundreds of thousands of users,” he said.“There's a strong culture of community and giving.”

Kenya, he noted, is also positioning itself as a hub for sustainable AI infrastructure, with clean energy powering its growing digital economy.“Kenya is 92 per cent green as I speak,” Thigo said.“All data centres that are being built in Kenya are running on clean energy.” He argued that this energy advantage will enable African nations to“leapfrog” older development models by combining renewable resources, community-driven data, and open innovation.“We are very good at riding on top of infrastructure that is already built,” Thigo said.“We don't have to reinvent the wheel - we build on global infrastructure and make it work for our communities.”

Global optimism about AI in developing nations

Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said developing nations share Kenya's optimism that AI could close long-standing development gaps.“We've seen mobile technology and digital payments close major gaps - now the question is whether AI can do the same.”

“There's even an optimism gap: while many in developed countries are sceptical, around 70 per cent of people in developing nations believe AI will improve their lives.” Lamanauskas added that the ITU is working with governments to build national AI strategies and technical expertise, noting that 55 per cent of countries still lack formal frameworks.“We are not building AI for AI's sake - we're doing it to improve education, agriculture and disaster management outcomes.”

Responsible innovation through collaboration

Natasha Crampton, Chief Responsible AI Officer at Microsoft, said Africa's innovation-led approach must be matched with practical mechanisms for responsible deployment.“You can't separate policy, technology and skills - they are intimately tied,” she said.“It's not about writing words on paper but about operationalising principles through tools and best practices.” The goal is not to pause innovation, but to embed responsibility at every level of design and engineering, she added.

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