Kindiki urges tech adoption for Africa’s growth

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged African nations to embrace technology and strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors to accelerate the continent’s transformation.

Addressing the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII) Forum in Nairobi on Friday, Kindiki said technological adoption across all sectors of the economy will be central to shaping Africa’s future.

“The next 40 years will not be entirely defined by globalisation because that happened 40 years ago. It is now behind us. The coming years will be defined by drivers including focus on people-centred transformation, investment in technology and public-private partnerships,” he stated.

He emphasised that Africa must adopt technologies that provide solutions to current challenges while creating a sustainable future.

Kindiki noted that technological advancement should be realised across all sectors, particularly in the energy sector, where the continent still lags behind in transitioning to cleaner and renewable sources.

Africa’s renewable energy capacity currently stands at 56 gigawatts, far below the 300 gigawatts needed to power industrial and manufacturing sectors.

To bridge this gap, Kindiki said governments must work closely with the private sector to fully harness the continent’s potential.

“Public sector-driven reforms alone are not going to be tenable in the future. We must work together with the private sector to transform the world. We must tap into the private sector’s ideas and capital in a bid to blend effort to push the world forward,” he emphasised.

Kenya, he said, is already leading the way, with 93 per cent of its electricity generation coming from renewable sources such as geothermal, wind, hydro, and solar.

“This places Kenya among the world’s leaders in clean energy. For investors seeking to build low-carbon manufacturing platforms, Kenya offers a compelling proposition,” he noted.

The AGII Forum is designed to translate ideas into bankable opportunities and facilitate real transactions across clean energy, sustainable industries, and green value chains.

During the event, Kindiki launched several initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable cooking solutions.

These included the Institutional Clean Cooking Investment Sector Pack, Kenya’s National Cooking Transition Strategy, and the Burn Manufacturing Electric Cookstove.

He highlighted the urgent need to address energy access across the continent, noting that nearly 600 million Africans still lack electricity while close to one billion people remain without clean cooking solutions.

“In Kenya, we are now deliberately repositioning clean cooking - not as a social or philanthropic intervention - but as a strategic green investment opportunity,” he said.