Kenya is fast establishing itself as a preferred destination for digital talent, with President William Ruto saying the country's growing technology ecosystem is attracting global companies while creating new opportunities for young professionals to compete on the international stage.
Speaking on Tuesday during the award ceremony for winners of the 2026 Global Huawei ICT Competition and the launch of the competition's 11th edition, Ruto said investments in digital skills, innovation and technology infrastructure are helping position Kenya among the world's leading sources of skilled ICT professionals.
The event was attended by Guo Haiyan, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Kenya.
Ruto said the increasing presence of leading global technology firms in Kenya demonstrates growing confidence in the country's ability to produce highly skilled digital professionals.
"Huawei has become a valued partner in developing digital skills through ICT academies. Microsoft has established its Africa Development Centre in Nairobi. Amazon Web Services continues expanding its presence, while Apple and many other technology companies are partnering with Kenyan institutions to develop advanced digital capabilities," he said.
He said these collaborations are strengthening the work already being done by Kenyan universities and specialised training institutions, whose graduates continue to earn recognition in global technology circles.
Ruto identified Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, the University of Nairobi, Moi University, Strathmore University and the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute as some of the institutions producing graduates equipped for the digital economy.
"As Government, we have matched these partnerships with deliberate investments," Ruto said.
He said the government has supported the country's digital transformation through the Digital Superhighway Programme, which has seen the installation of an additional 37,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable, the establishment of hundreds of digital hubs, training of more than 1.9 million Kenyans in digital skills and the creation of more than 350,000 digital jobs.
According to the President, the government's long-term plan is to build a strong link between learning institutions, research, innovation, entrepreneurs and industry to drive economic growth.
"Our objective is to build an ecosystem where education, research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry reinforce one another; where classrooms connect to laboratories, laboratories to start-ups, start-ups to industry and industry to global markets," he said.
Ruto also praised Kenya's outstanding performance at the 2026 Global Huawei ICT Competition, describing the contest as the world's largest ICT skills competition.
This year's competition attracted more than 220,000 participants from over 2,000 institutions in more than 100 countries. Only 177 teams from 49 countries progressed to the global finals held in Shenzhen, China.
Kenya's Cloud Track Team delivered the country's best performance since joining the competition in 2019 by winning the Grand Prize, the highest honour awarded during the global finals.
Ruto said the victory proves that Kenyan youth have the knowledge and ability to excel in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data and digital infrastructure.
"Their achievement in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, and digital infrastructure is a signal that Kenya possesses the talent required to build the cloud infrastructure, data centres and AI capabilities that will power our digital economy," he said.
He said continued investment in digital skills will play a key role in Kenya's ambition of becoming Africa's leading technology hub while connecting local innovators with opportunities across the global market.