Estonian Ambassador Daniel Schaer says Estonia’s strong tech infrastructure and service-based economy make it an ideal partner for Kenyan companies, enabling collaboration that can expand into other African markets.
Speaking in an interview on Radio Generation, Schaer highlighted Kenya’s digital payment systems, regional trade integration, and growing internet access as critical enablers for business and technological growth.
“The economy is very much a service-based economy, and what we have in terms of exports to Africa is also services. Our big players, Bolt and Wise, and these types of unicorns, but also IT services,” Schaer said, emphasizing how Estonian firms can leverage Kenya’s innovation ecosystem to access both European and regional markets.
He noted that a successful solution developed in Kenya could easily be exported to neighboring countries within the East African Community, which aims to create a single market similar to the European Union.
Schaer shared his experience from Rwanda, recalling that “from 2011 to 2015, one truck trip from Kigali to Mombasa required passing through 16 checkpoints, each demanding a cash payment. Colleagues from Trademark Africa have reduced this to four checkpoints, demonstrating progress in easing regional trade barriers.”
He said Estonia’s own success is rooted in similar regional collaboration, noting that over 70% of its trade occurs with neighboring countries, including Finland, Sweden, and Latvia.
On technology, Schaer emphasized that Estonia is open to adopting solutions from anywhere.
“The ID card that we have in Estonia was actually Finnish. The Finns started to use it, but they didn’t make it mandatory. We made it mandatory for everyone, and then everybody started using it because everything was connected to that ID card,” he said, explaining how digital identity has facilitated access to services and secure payments in Estonia.
He highlighted Estonia’s technology-agnostic approach, which allows it to learn from African innovations and adapt them locally.
Schaer also pointed to Africa’s growing leadership in content creation as a major opportunity. “You have a lot of internet in Africa, and one of the areas developing quickly is culture—how do you monetize music, videos, and all these things? Africa is the leader in creating content, and you should also be the leader in monetizing it and helping people make a living,” he said.
The ambassador’s remarks underline the potential for Kenya and Africa at large to become hubs for technology-driven services, cross-border trade, and creative industry growth, drawing lessons from Estonia’s experience while leveraging local innovations for regional and global markets.
