ICTA & MICDE Raring To Go For Connected Africa Summit

All roads lead to the Connected Africa Summit.

Set for 26-29 May 2025 at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, Diani, Eng. John Tanui, Principal Secretary in the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy underscored the critical nature of the Summit, and its place in convening solid public and private sector partnerships.

This year’s Summit is particularly significant. It marks the 14th edition of the Connected series, which began over 15 years ago – with the exception of a year skipped owing to the pandemic – as Connected Kenya. “What began as a platform to bring together Kenya’s ICT stakeholders has since evolved into a continental convening, offering a space for Africa to connect, co-create, and commit to a shared digital future. This summit is not just another event—it is a strategic platform where governments, innovators, policymakers, and the private sector come together to shape the next chapter of Africa’s digital transformation.”

He further noted that “As government, we are keen to build bridges with the private sector to collectively develop Africa’s digital transformation agenda. The Connected Africa Summit 2025 aims to cultivate the collaboration between government and the private sector while also providing a platform for conversations on technology and its importance in forging Africa’s digital future,” Hon. Tanui said.

This was reiterated by Stanley Kamanguya, the CEO of the ICT Authority of Kenya, affirming that all is set for the Summit. “The partnership we continue to witness from our partners in the private sector is a true testament of the belief and endorsement of Kenya’s, and Africa’s digital transformation agenda. Even in this digital age, the best technology we have remains each other. We must continue collaborating and supporting each other, and create an environment that enables us to all thrive,” Kamanguya remarked.

The Summit’s exponential growth encompassing the continent has attracted compelling regional and international brands such as HPE, AWS, Cisco, Fortinet, KCB Group, Safaricom Plc, Silicon Overdrive and GIZ among others.

“This is our third year participating in the Connected Africa Summit. Our partnership is inspired by the collaboration between the public and private sector. A union that is crucial owing to the emerging technologies in play. We all know that AI is a buzzword and we look forward to sharing how Cisco is modernising security in the AI world,” said Shain Rahim, Country Manager, CISCO.

Spanning four days, the summit will feature high-level plenaries, executive roundtables, sector-specific breakout sessions, and targeted policy dialogues. The agenda will cover key digital transformation themes such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, Big Data, fintech, healthtech, assisted technology and digital public services.

The event will also spotlight local innovation through an Innovation Village, offering a platform for homegrown start-ups and developers to showcase solutions. Additionally, the Smart Government Zone will present transformative public sector digital projects from across Africa. Curated networking sessions will provide opportunities for strategic partnerships, investment dialogue, and meaningful collaborations.

With over 2,000 participants expected from across government, academia, business, and development sectors, the Connected Africa Summit 2025 is shaping up to be a defining moment in Africa’s digital transformation journey.

Tupatane Diani.