Kenya

As the economic centre of East Africa, Kenya is a powerful region for innovation, and several international companies have established themselves there. The ICT sector is gaining increasing importance and prominence, and in many ways people are looking to Estonia to keep this progress going.

Kenya remains one of the most highly developed countries in the African region and is the economic centre of East Africa. The country continues its growth through a carefully chosen set of Sustainable Development Goals. Its focus on digitalisation and the alignment of its education practices have been catalysts in its long-term goals of bringing about systemic, lasting change and contributing to the eradication of poverty.

The mutual relationship between Kenya and Estonia has grown since 2017. At that time, Estonia held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. As an international partner, ESTDEV concentrates its efforts in areas where Estonia has specific added value to offer, including innovation and expertise in digital issues and e-governance. In Kenya, this expertise is directed toward education, digital development, and entrepreneurship. Additional EU Member States and local public sector organisations are an integral part to ESTDEV’s work in ensuring that these changes are sustainable.

Beginning in 2022, ESTDEV operates in Kenya in cooperation with other EU member states, conducting larger-scale projects from the Team Europe Initiative. These projects focus on human-centred digitalisation within the country. In addition, ESTDEV is increasingly committed to Kenya’s education sector, framed by the memorandum of understanding between Estonia and Kenya, which concluded in 2022. Estonia has proven to be a strong partner in Kenya’s journey toward digital and education reform, owing to its strong digital skills, versatile digital solutions, and high-quality contemporary teacher education.

In cooperation with Lithuanian and Latvian partners, ESTDEV launched the Digital Explorers II project in March 2023, enabling talent migration between Estonia and Kenya and allowing young Kenyan ICT talent to gain practical work experience and further their education.

Between 2013 and 2021, Estonia invested €2 million in development cooperation projects in Kenya. During this period, 26 projects were initiated in Kenya in support of refugee welfare, humanitarian missions, education, digital development, and resource and environmental sustainability. As of September 1, 2023, there were eight ongoing projects in Kenya that support, among other things, the deployment of e-learning solutions, digital literacy, sustainable forestry, agricultural practices, and the establishment of national registers.

Priority Areas of Estonian Development Cooperation in Kenya

• Digital transformation – assessing national digital maturity and providing a corresponding roadmap that includes the development of existing and new e-services and e-government tools as well as raising digital competences
• Entrepreneurship – developing a start-up ecosystem and increasing 21st-century skills among young people, increasing the ability of young people and women to compete in the labor market, and introducing digital opportunities through evolving skill sets
• Education – providing e-learning solutions, making e-learning materials more accessible, and contributing to the reform of teacher education