Kenyan students, developers, startups, small business owners and career professionals stand to gain free AI skills training and a shot at equity-free funding after global technology firm Meta partnered with African AI accelerator This Is digital to launch the AI Academy in the country.
This Is Digital was founded in 2025 and has trained more than 800 “AI Champions” across more than 10 countries through masterclasses and consultancy work for individuals and enterprises.
Mercy Ndegwa, public policy director for East Africa at Meta, said the next wave of AI innovation in Kenya would come from local builders solving local problems.
“That is why we are working with This Is Digital to put practical training and open models in the hands of Kenyan developers, students and small business owners, so that what gets built here is designed for this market by the people who understand it best,” she said.
Gregory Wanjama, CEO of This Is Digital, said: “Partnering with Meta allows us to scale our impact, empowering Kenyan professionals, startups and students with actionable skills to drive real-world productivity, innovation and economic growth.”
Grace Murugi, chief AI and digital strategist at This Is Digital, said the academy would help Kenya’s ecosystem build homegrown intellectual property that competes globally by translating complex AI concepts into accessible applications and emphasising ethical, responsible leadership.
The programme, launched officially on 11 September, is structured around two components: an AI Pitchathon and an eight-week AI Masterclass, covering AI fundamentals, prompt engineering, and AI applications for research, documentation, reporting and productivity.
Under the Pitchathon, Kenyan startups and developers building on Meta’s AI technologies will pitch live in Nairobi for equity-free funding, with the winner earning a slot at Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, in November.
Applications close on 30 September, with the pitch event set for 15 October. Masterclass applications close on 31 October, with classes starting on 3 November.
The launch comes as Kenya grapples with a widening digital skills gap, even as demand for AI-related skills grows across the economy.
The government’s AI Strategy, launched in 2025, identified talent development as a key priority, with the strategy calling for a stronger pipeline of AI workers and targeted training programmes to meet emerging demand.
Private-sector training programmes such as the AI Academy Kenya are increasingly positioned to fill that gap alongside state-led initiatives.
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