List of all articles filed under “kenya-ict” category.
In this section of the interview, John Paul Okwiri, CEO of Konza Technopolis, introduces the vision behind Kenya’s flagship smart city and its central role …
In this exclusive interview with John Paul Okwiri, CEO of Konza Technopolis, Kenya’s ambitious smart city project, we explore the transformative role Konza is playing in advancing Kenya’s digital economy and achieving Vision 2030. Dubbed the African Silicon Savannah, Konza is positioned as a leading innovation ecosystem and Special Economic Zone, designed to attract global investors in ICT-enabled services, life sciences, engineering, and digital infrastructure.
Konza has successfully completed Phase One infrastructure, including clean water systems, high-speed internet, energy distribution, stormwater drainage, and the establishment of a Tier III Uptime Certified National Data Center. With more than 100 out of 147 land parcels allocated, the city now offers a plug-and-play environment for investors looking to enter the African tech investment space.
Key anchors such as the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) are in place, supporting research and development (R&D) in STEM fields and strengthening ties between academia, industry, and government. Additionally, Konza’s model includes zones for light industry, device assembly, textiles, and biopharma, with future phases set to include Digital Media City and expanded public-private partnerships (PPP).
CEO John Paul Okwiri addresses common misconceptions about delays, reaffirming that Konza Technopolis is ready for investment and progressing on par with global smart cities like Cyberjaya in Malaysia. The government-backed initiative offers a range of physical and non-physical investment incentives, including tax reliefs, making it an attractive destination for those interested in tech hubs in Africa, smart city development, and long-term infrastructure projects in Kenya.
Konza is not just a project—it’s the foundation of Kenya’s Fourth Industrial Revolution, poised to create over 17,000 jobs, drive sustainable urban development, and serve as a model for digital transformation in Africa.
In this section of the interview, Mr. Snehar Shah, CEO of IXAfrica, provides an in-depth look at the company’s strategic growth and its flagship facility, …
In this exclusive interview, Mr. Snehar Shah, CEO of IXAfrica, outlines the company’s leadership role as East Africa’s largest AI-ready and hyperscaler-ready data centre, based in Nairobi, Kenya. IXAfrica operates NBOX1, a carrier-neutral facility strategically located near Nairobi’s airport, and is developing NBOX1.2 and NBOX2, which together will expand their data centre capacity to over 75 megawatts.
The NBOX1 facility currently hosts over 20 network providers and two major internet exchanges—the Kenya Internet Exchange and the London Internet Exchange (LINX). With its high-density GPU hosting capabilities, including support for racks requiring up to 50 kilowatts, IXAfrica is the only data centre in Kenya engineered to support AI workloads, positioning itself as a regional digital infrastructure leader.
Through a strategic partnership with Safaricom, East Africa’s leading telecom operator, IXAfrica is jointly targeting enterprise clients and cloud providers. The company is also engaged in advanced discussions with hyperscalers, such as Oracle—which has announced plans to establish a sovereign cloud in Kenya—and Microsoft, which is investing $1 billion into a regional cloud zone in the country.
As a sustainable data centre, IXAfrica leverages Kenya’s 93% renewable energy mix, including geothermal energy from Olkaria. With upcoming power wheeling legislation, the company aims to source green energy directly, enhancing its ESG compliance and lowering operational costs. It is also EcoVadis-certified, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable data infrastructure.
On the talent front, IXAfrica is addressing the data centre skills gap in Africa through partnerships with organisations like Nomad Futurists and local initiatives that train university interns in cloud engineering and data centre operations. This initiative aligns with their long-term vision to build a scalable African talent pipeline for the global digital economy.
The company is also at the forefront of AI policy discussions, contributing to regulatory frameworks on data sovereignty, digital policy, and AI governance in collaboration with the Kenyan government and the United Nations AI board.
Looking ahead, IXAfrica plans to scale its infrastructure, onboard AI companies, expand its cloud services, and strengthen its position as the go-to data centre in East and Central Africa. With backing from Helios Investment Partners, IXAfrica is not only investing in Kenya but also exploring broader expansion in Tier 1 African markets, including Egypt, Nigeria, and Morocco.
Typotech Kenya Limited, formerly known as Imaging Solutions, has repositioned itself as a complete printing and packaging solutions provider in East Africa. Under the leadership of CEO Alfred Kandarah, the company has expanded beyond its original focus on pre-press solutions to offer end-to-end services including pre-press, press, and finishing equipment, along with workflow software, consumables, and training.
Now serving key sectors such as newspaper printing, commercial printing, book printing, and most importantly, packaging printing (including paper, board, metal, and textile packaging), Typotech aims to become the first point of contact for high-end printing and packaging solutions in Eastern Africa. The company is particularly targeting the fast-growing packaging industry in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and plans to expand across the East African Community and later into Central and West Africa.
Kandarah highlights that the commercial printing industry in Africa is slowing, while packaging printing solutions — including metal packaging, corrugated packaging, and textile printing — continue to see sustained growth. This shift is driven by increased demand for labeling and product packaging across sectors, from home-based manufacturers to multinational FMCG brands.
Typotech also places a strong emphasis on sustainability in printing and packaging, ensuring all imported printing consumables meet environmental standards, especially for food-grade packaging. They supply eco-friendly inks, non-toxic print chemicals, and sustainable substrates tailored to local market regulations.
With ambitions to dominate the East African packaging market, Typotech partners with globally recognized equipment manufacturers to deliver state-of-the-art solutions. From computer-to-plate systems, digital workflow automation, to press and finishing machinery, the company supports the region’s shift toward modern, scalable, and sustainable packaging solutions.
Snehar Shah, CEO of iXAfrica, shares how he led the company to become East Africa’s largest data center provider in just nine months. He highlights …
In this interview, Snehar Shah, CEO of iXAfrica, shares his vision for revolutionizing the digital landscape in East Africa by establishing Kenya as a pivotal data center hub. Shah discusses the strategic choice of Kenya for its abundant renewable energy, growing tech ecosystem, and robust connectivity, while outlining iXAfrica’s ambitious plans to support the region’s digital transformation and meet the rising demand for AI-ready infrastructure.
Snehar Shah shares his assessment of the IT sector in Kenya and presents Moringa School, a multi-disciplinary learning accelerator committed to closing the skills gap in Africa’s job markets by delivering transformative tech-based learning to high-potential jobseekers; and on graduation connecting them to local and international employers who desire high-quality tech talent.
Snehar Shah, CEO at Moringa School, a multi-disciplinary learning accelerator committed to closing the skills gap in Kenya and Africa’s job markets by delivering transformative tech-based learning to high-potential jobseekers, presents the tech training institution.
Businessman Michael Macharia, Co-Founder of IT firm SevenSeas Technologies, has won a Sh1.6 billion award against the Kenyan government following a cancelled contract to wire 98 State hospitals. Retired judge and now arbitrator Aaron Ringera found the State at fault in terminating the Sh4.7 billion contract that demanded SevenSeas Technologies provide the technology component of the Managed Equipment Service (MES) plan.
