EU-Kenya forum deepens digital trade ties
Nairobi's EU-Kenya Business Forum in May 2025 spotlighted Kenya's ambitious digital economy strategy, aiming to significantly boost exports through enhanced digital trade ties with the European Union. Key initiatives include a 100,000 km fibre backbone and 1,450 digital hubs.
The EU-Kenya Business Forum held in Nairobi during May 2025 marked a pivotal moment for Kenya's burgeoning digital economy, with leaders from both sides heralding a new era of enhanced digital trade relations designed to significantly boost Kenyan exports. The forum underscored Kenya's ambitious strategy to transform its economic landscape through comprehensive digitalization.
ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo passionately articulated Kenya's three-pronged approach: “digitize, connect, and trade.” This vision is being actualized through monumental infrastructure projects, including the development of a 100,000 km national fibre backbone aimed at providing widespread, high-speed internet access, and the establishment of over 1,450 digital hubs across the nation to foster innovation and digital literacy. These hubs are envisioned as centers of excellence, empowering local communities and entrepreneurs to participate in the global digital marketplace.
The high-profile forum successfully captured significant interest from the European Union, with delegates expressing keenness to forge stronger e-commerce links. This interest is particularly timely, aligning with the recently ratified Kenya-EU trade agreement, which provides a robust framework for such collaborations. Kenya is strategically poised to leverage its rapidly expanding ICT infrastructure and skilled youth population to substantially increase its export volumes, particularly in services and digitally-enabled goods, to the vast EU market.