Safaricom Group CEO Peter Ndegwa has been named one of the champions of the Digital Transformation Pathway under the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), putting a Kenyan technology executive at the centre of a continental push around digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, skills, SMEs and digital public services.
Ndegwa will champion the pathway alongside Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The announcement was made as GABI’s Action Pathways move into a new implementation phase at its 2026 programme.
The initiative is designed to move beyond conversations about Africa’s digital future and focus on practical collaboration, investment and implementation. GABI describes the Action Pathways as year-round platforms bringing together businesses, policymakers, investors and development institutions to work on specific challenges facing Africa.
What Is GABI’s Digital Transformation Pathway?
The Digital Transformation Pathway is one of two GABI Action Pathways, alongside the Health Pathway.
The pathways were originally launched at Unstoppable Africa 2025, rather than being created in 2026. During 2026, the initiative moved toward defining priority problems and developing a 12-month work plan for implementation.
At the 2026 programme, GABI described the Action Pathways as moving into a 12-month sprint, with champions expected to help take the work forward.
The Digital Transformation Pathway is focused on several areas:
- Expanding digital infrastructure
- Modernising public services
- Developing future-ready skills
- Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises
- Advancing responsible artificial intelligence
- Strengthening data governance
These priorities cover much more than telecommunications.
They touch how African governments deliver services, how businesses operate, how workers acquire skills and how AI becomes part of the continent’s economy.
Why Peter Ndegwa’s Role Matters to Kenya
Ndegwa’s appointment gives Kenya representation in a continental initiative focused on some of the same issues currently shaping the country’s own digital agenda.
Kenya launched its Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030 in March 2025.
The national strategy is built around three major pillars:
- AI digital infrastructure
- Data and AI governance
- AI research, innovation and commercialisation
The strategy is intended to support responsible AI development and adoption while strengthening Kenya’s position in the digital economy.
That means the priorities of GABI’s Digital Transformation Pathway overlap with several areas Kenya is already trying to develop nationally.
The question now is how continental initiatives such as GABI can translate those broad priorities into practical projects.
Kenya Has Already Started Digitising Public Services
One of the clearest examples of Kenya’s digital transformation is eCitizen.
The platform has become a central gateway for accessing government services online.
The National Treasury says more than 17 million applications had been processed through eCitizen and more than KSh95 billion collected through the online portal as of the information published on its platform.
The ICT Authority currently describes eCitizen as providing access to more than 20,000 government services, including services relating to IDs, passports, business permits, land searches, KRA and NTSA.
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy reported in February 2026 that nearly 21,000 services were available through the platform.
This provides a practical example of the kind of public-service digitisation that sits within the broader GABI agenda.
But putting a service online is only one part of digital transformation.
The bigger challenge is ensuring that digital services are reliable, accessible, secure and genuinely easier for citizens and businesses to use.
AI Is Becoming Part of Kenya’s Digital Agenda
Artificial intelligence is another major area where Kenya’s national priorities intersect with GABI’s Digital Transformation Pathway.
Kenya’s AI Strategy identifies infrastructure, data governance and AI research and commercialisation as its three core pillars.
Its implementation roadmap also places emphasis on digital literacy, AI skills, training, talent development and practical exposure to emerging technologies.
That is important because AI adoption is not simply about giving people access to chatbots.
Businesses need employees who understand how to use AI.
Government agencies need appropriate data and governance frameworks.
Developers need infrastructure.
SMEs need affordable tools that solve actual business problems.
And consumers need confidence that their data will be handled responsibly.
SMEs Could Be One of the Biggest Beneficiaries
Small and medium-sized businesses make up a significant part of Africa’s economic activity.
For many of these businesses, digital transformation does not necessarily mean building sophisticated AI systems.
It could mean something much simpler.
A small retailer might use digital payments and inventory software.
A logistics company could use digital tracking.
A property business could automate customer enquiries.
A professional-services firm could digitise document workflows.
A Kenyan online seller could use e-commerce platforms to reach customers outside its immediate neighbourhood.
AI could then be added to selected parts of those workflows.
This is where the GABI focus on SMEs becomes particularly relevant.
The value of digital transformation is ultimately determined by whether technology helps businesses reduce costs, reach customers, improve productivity or create new products and services.
Digital Infrastructure Remains the Foundation
AI applications, digital public services and online businesses all depend on infrastructure.
That includes:
- Mobile networks
- Fibre connectivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Data centres
- Computing capacity
- Digital payment infrastructure
- Reliable electricity
- Cybersecurity systems
Without adequate infrastructure, even the most advanced software can struggle to deliver consistent results.
This is why digital infrastructure is one of the central areas identified by the GABI pathway.
Kenya’s own AI Strategy similarly recognises digital infrastructure as one of the foundations needed for AI development and adoption.
For African countries, the infrastructure question is therefore closely connected to the AI question.
Skills Could Determine Who Benefits From AI
Technology can create opportunities, but people need the skills to use it.
Kenya’s AI implementation roadmap includes initiatives around digital literacy, AI exposure, teacher training, public-sector training and broader development of digital talent.
That is particularly important for young Africans entering the workforce.
The skills required in the coming years may extend beyond traditional programming.
Workers may increasingly need to understand:
- AI-assisted productivity
- Data analysis
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud computing
- Automation
- Digital marketing
- Software tools
- Critical thinking
- AI governance
For Kenyan students and young professionals, this could make digital skills an increasingly important part of career development.
TechDrivers has previously examined how AI is changing the way work is managed and how businesses are beginning to think about AI-powered digital teammates.
Internal link: AI Will Change How Work Is Managed
Internal link: AI Digital Teammates Are Changing How Businesses Think About Work
Responsible AI Is Becoming More Important
The Digital Transformation Pathway is not focused only on deploying AI.
It also includes responsible AI and data governance.
That distinction matters.
As businesses and governments use AI to process more information, questions around privacy, security, transparency and accountability become increasingly important.
Kenya’s AI Strategy also places data and AI governance at the centre of its national approach.
For businesses, responsible AI can involve questions such as:
- What data is being given to an AI system?
- Where is that data stored?
- Who can access it?
- Is sensitive customer information protected?
- Can an AI-generated decision be reviewed?
- Who is accountable when an automated system makes a mistake?
These questions become more important as AI moves from generating content to performing tasks and influencing business decisions.
Kenya’s Digital Economy Is Already Moving Beyond Connectivity
Kenya’s technology story is no longer just about getting people online.
The country has spent years developing digital payments, mobile financial services, e-government platforms, e-commerce and technology startups.
M-Pesa is one of the most visible examples of how mobile technology can become embedded in everyday economic activity.
eCitizen demonstrates how government services can move online.
Kenya’s AI Strategy demonstrates that artificial intelligence is now being treated as a strategic technology rather than simply an experimental tool.
The next stage is about connecting these developments.
That means better infrastructure, better skills, better data and better digital services working together.
From Digital Platforms to Economic Results
GABI’s Action Pathways are explicitly designed to move from high-level discussion toward practical solutions, financing and partnerships.
That creates an important test for the initiative.
The success of a digital transformation programme cannot ultimately be measured by the number of conferences held or announcements made.
It has to be measured by what changes on the ground.
For example:
Can an SME reach more customers?
Can a government service be completed faster?
Can a worker gain a new digital skill?
Can AI help a business become more productive?
Can underserved communities gain better connectivity?
Can digital systems reduce unnecessary administrative work?
These are the outcomes that will determine whether digital transformation creates tangible economic value.
What This Could Mean for Kenyan Businesses
For Kenyan businesses, the GABI agenda highlights several areas worth watching.
1. AI adoption
Businesses may increasingly move from experimenting with AI chatbots to integrating AI into everyday workflows.
2. Digital skills
Employers may place greater value on workers who can effectively use AI and other digital tools.
3. SME digitisation
More small businesses could adopt digital payments, e-commerce, cloud software and automation.
4. Data governance
Businesses handling customer and operational data will face increasing pressure to manage that information responsibly.
5. Digital public services
As government services become increasingly digital, businesses and individuals will need to become more comfortable interacting with government platforms online.
The Bigger African Opportunity
Africa’s digital transformation is taking place across countries with very different levels of connectivity, infrastructure and digital maturity.
A solution that works in Nairobi may not automatically work in a rural community or another African market.
That makes collaboration important.
GABI’s Action Pathways are designed to bring together business leaders, governments, investors and development institutions around shared challenges rather than treating digital transformation as the responsibility of one sector.
The Digital Transformation Pathway therefore represents an attempt to connect technology with investment, policy and implementation.
What Happens Next?
The announcement of champions is not the end of the process.
GABI’s own Action Pathways information says the coalition agreed in May 2026 to begin work in the second half of the year around a selected problem statement and a 12-month work plan.
The next stage will therefore be more important than the announcement itself.
Stakeholders will need to identify specific problems, develop workable solutions, mobilise financing and demonstrate measurable results.
For Kenya, Ndegwa’s participation gives the country a voice in that process.
But the broader impact will depend on what the pathway ultimately delivers across African markets.
FAQs
Who is Peter Ndegwa?
Peter Ndegwa is the Group CEO of Safaricom. He has been named a champion of the GABI Digital Transformation Pathway alongside Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.
What is GABI?
The Global Africa Business Initiative is a United Nations Global Compact initiative focused on bringing African and global business, government and other stakeholders together around Africa’s economic transformation priorities.
What is the GABI Digital Transformation Pathway?
It is a year-round multi-stakeholder initiative focused on practical digital transformation challenges in Africa, including infrastructure, public services, skills, SMEs, responsible AI and data governance.
When was the Digital Transformation Pathway launched?
The Digital Transformation Action Pathway was launched at Unstoppable Africa in 2025. Its work continued into 2026, with GABI moving toward a more implementation-focused phase.
What areas will the pathway focus on?
The pathway covers digital infrastructure, modernising public services, future-ready skills, SME empowerment, responsible AI and data governance.
What does this mean for Kenya?
Kenya is already pursuing many of the same priorities through initiatives such as eCitizen and the Kenya AI Strategy 2025–2030. Ndegwa’s role places a Kenyan private-sector leader within a continental platform focused on these issues.
Is GABI’s Digital Transformation Pathway already delivering projects?
The initiative is moving into an implementation phase. GABI says its 2026 direction includes selecting a problem statement and developing a 12-month work plan. Therefore, the announcement of champions should not be interpreted as proof that the targeted outcomes have already been delivered.
Conclusion
Peter Ndegwa’s appointment as a champion of the GABI Digital Transformation Pathway places a Kenyan business leader in a wider African conversation about how technology can support economic transformation.
The priorities are broad: better digital infrastructure, stronger public services, future-ready skills, SME digitisation, responsible AI and data governance.
For Kenya, many of these issues are already visible at home through eCitizen, digital payments and the country’s AI Strategy.
The bigger question now is what happens after the announcements.
GABI’s Action Pathways are designed to move from dialogue toward implementation.
If the next 12 months produce practical partnerships, investment, digital services, skills programmes and scalable solutions, the initiative could provide a useful platform for turning Africa’s digital ambitions into measurable outcomes.
For Kenyan businesses and technology users, the developments are worth watching closely.
Africa’s digital transformation is moving from talking about what technology could do to asking what it can actually deliver.
