Kenya’s AI Opportunities Plan - Action Lab
Develop a set of actionable AI Opportunity Plans for Kenya that identify and prioritise high-impact, context-relevant AI use cases—and the enabling conditions needed to implement them responsibly—across seven thematic areas: AI in Health, AI in Food Systems, AI in Environment, Socio-Tech Mis- and Disinformation, Talent, Values of Data, Infrastructure.
IDI's Role & Contribution
IDI led the research and design process through the Decision Intelligence Innovation Fellowship—structuring the methodology, developing tools, guiding fieldwork and quality assurance, synthesising findings, and translating insights into clear, decision-ready opportunities and recommendations that can be adopted by multiple stakeholders across Kenya, and regionally.
"By establishing a nationwide, county-level distributed research network, we grounded policy recommendations in actual county infrastructure capabilities rather than urban assumptions."
The Problem
Three interlocking failures created a system where continuity of care was structurally impossible.
Fragmented care
Fragmented pilots and lack of alignment on high-priority AI use cases tailored to local contexts.
Lost record continuity
Shortage of technical, ethical, and implementation skills across community and county systems.
Invisible complications
Absence of responsible data exchange, infrastructure frameworks, and ethical guidelines.
Our Approach
A structured, collaborative design methodology implemented across six sequential stages.
Desk Research
Analyzing international benchmarks and aligning with regional policy guidelines.
Field Interviews
Engaging stakeholders across counties to capture grassroots requirements.
Data Collection
Utilizing Kobo-enabled tools with 100+ on-ground researchers across Kenya.
Synthesis & Prioritization
Using human-centred and systems-led lenses to identify top opportunities.
Thematic Rollout
Formulating structured recommendations starting with the Health AI report.
Outputs & Results
Measurable outcomes achieved through the programme's core activities.
Strategic initiatives identified
On-ground researchers deployed
Thematic areas analyzed
Measuring Success
We measured success by stakeholder alignment and implementation readiness. Our draft recommendations were validated across public, private, and academic sectors before publication.
Partners
As we work to scale health systems across Africa, we are proud to partner with leading national and global organizations.
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