Two examples demonstrate the manner in which Kenya can unlock the potential of the transformative nature of digital technologies

The first is Twiga Foods. Working with the Kenyan fast-moving consumer goods start-up, IBM managed to fuse Blockchain, AI, and big data, to develop credit profiles to access non-collateralised loans to hundreds of small-to-medium businesses, many of whom were owned by female vegetable vendors.

Under normal circumstances, these businesses would not be issued credit from any banking institution due to a lack of a credit history and inadequate documentation for KYC purposes. Without the use of Blockchain and AI to digitise and process non-traditional data, such an inclusive solution would not have been possible.

The other example is the Kenyan start-up M-Shule, which leverages AI to provide an adaptive learning engine that continuously analyses each learner’s abilities to track and build skills and generate personalised learning.

M-Shule solves a major problem that normal schooling has not been able to address. Educators understand that different students possess different abilities and consequently exhibit different requirements, strengths, and objectives.

The AI systems can be employed to identify each individual child’s competency and deliver the right lesson at the right time.

With support from the several incubation hubs and accelerators in Kenya, the country is poised to make a significant global contribution to the emerging fourth industrial revolution.