New AI Cooperation Agreement Between Italy, India, and Kenya Aims to Transform Africa

AI Impact Summit Highlights Trilateral Agreement

New Delhi, Feb 24: A trilateral agreement on artificial intelligence was established during the AI Impact Summit, involving Italy, India, and Kenya. This initiative aims to promote 'AI-driven development' throughout Africa, focusing on local empowerment, sustainability, and inclusive innovation, according to a recent report.

The report from AIBase.ng highlights that this initiative prioritizes co-creation and development led by African nations, ensuring that AI technologies are tailored to the social, economic, and cultural realities of African communities.

Unlike conventional AI partnerships that typically involve technology transfer from developed nations, this new approach is more collaborative, the report noted.

Additionally, the agreement emphasizes data sovereignty, allowing African countries to maintain control over their data and AI systems.

AI solutions developed through this collaboration will address issues in agriculture, healthcare, education, and financial inclusion, the report added.

Short-term objectives include the launch of 15 pilot AI applications by the end of 2026, while long-term goals aim to expand to approximately 100 projects across the continent.

The agreement also stresses the importance of ethical and inclusive AI, minimizing the risks associated with technologies that may not align with local contexts. It includes research networks, computing resources, and digital platforms to foster AI innovation.

This partnership strengthens Kenya's role as a regional technology hub and innovation gateway for Africa, while India benefits from enhanced South-South cooperation and the promotion of scalable, human-centric digital solutions, as reported by the Nigeria-based media outlet.

Italy serves as a connector between Europe, Asia, and Africa, utilizing initiatives like the Mattei Plan’s AI Hub for Sustainable Development to encourage collaboration.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, which took place in New Delhi last week, concluded with the endorsement of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, marking a pivotal moment in global AI cooperation.

As of February 21, 2026, 88 countries and international organizations had supported this declaration. Since then, three additional countries—Bangladesh, Costa Rica, and Guatemala—have joined, bringing the total number of signatories to 91, according to a statement from the Ministry of Electronics and IT.