India, Italy and Kenya have announced a new trilateral partnership aimed at expanding sovereign artificial intelligence adoption across Africa, with a focus on deploying practical AI systems in sectors such as agriculture, health care and education.
The initiative was unveiled Feb. 19 at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and brings together the EkStep Foundation in India, Kenya’s Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy through the AI Hub for Sustainable Development. The collaboration also involves the United Nations Development Programme.
Officials said the partnership is designed to shift AI development in Africa away from isolated pilot projects toward scalable “AI diffusion pathways” capable of reaching large populations while maintaining local control over data and infrastructure.
The program will prioritize voice-enabled AI technologies that can operate in low-connectivity environments and support local languages, addressing challenges faced by many communities across the continent. Developers will work with local public and private sector innovators to build systems tailored to African contexts while promoting data sovereignty and digital inclusion.
The initiative also aims to expand shared AI infrastructure, including multilingual voice models and access to affordable computing resources, to reduce barriers to adoption. Organizers say the partnership is part of a broader goal to establish 100 AI diffusion pathways by 2030 that enable trusted and context-specific AI deployment.
The effort builds on the G7-endorsed AI Hub for Sustainable Development and aligns with Italy’s Mattei Plan, which focuses on strengthening economic and technological cooperation with African nations.
Leaders from the three countries signed a letter of strategic intent during the summit. Signatories included Dr. Eva Spina of Italy’s AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Mary N. Kerema of Kenya’s Ministry of ICT and Shankar Maruwada, CEO of the EkStep Foundation.
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo Gitau witnessed the signing alongside India’s Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Italy’s Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso.
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