Kenya has signed a Joint Declaration with US artificial intelligence company Anthropic to establish a framework for cooperation covering AI skills, research, public-sector applications, safety and evaluation.
The declaration was signed on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. Kenya was represented by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei, while Elizabeth Kelly, Anthropic’s Head of Beneficial Deployments, signed on behalf of the company.
The framework is intended to support collaboration between Anthropic and Kenyan ministries, departments and agencies on programmes tailored to national priorities. These could include pilot projects developed with local institutions and tested before potential wider implementation.
Priority areas include locally relevant applications of AI in education and healthcare, alongside skills development, research, public-sector use cases, AI safety and evaluation.
Any future programmes involving access to or processing of data are expected to operate within Kenya’s existing data-protection, cybersecurity and public-sector requirements.
The partnership aligns with Kenya’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030, which is structured around three key pillars: AI infrastructure; data and AI governance; and research, innovation and commercialisation.
The agreement also comes as the Kenyan government works on a broader AI and Emerging Technologies Policy aimed at supporting the country’s evolving technology ecosystem.
During the same UN General Assembly week, President William Ruto co-chaired an AI-focused discussion with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The discussion highlighted international cooperation on computing capacity, data and talent while maintaining national agency.
Kenya is also participating in the Africa-wide AI 10 Billion Initiative led by the African Development Bank, UNDP and partners, which aims to mobilise up to $10 billion by 2035.
The Kenya-Anthropic framework adds another international cooperation channel to the country’s wider efforts to develop AI skills, research capacity, responsible AI practices and practical applications across public services.
