President William Ruto has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italy to strengthen education, research, and innovation. The deal will modernize up to 70 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions with state-of-the-art equipment to equip young people with artificial intelligence (AI) and technical skills. The partnership aims to bridge Kenya's talent gap in STEM fields and prepare graduates for future jobs in emerging sectors.
At the signing ceremony on February 9, 2026, President William Ruto stated that the initiative aligns with Kenya's strategy to position TVET institutions as the backbone of industrial transformation and technology-driven growth. “Kenya will not be left behind this time in matters of AI,” Ruto said. “We will be co-creators in the development, governance, and use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of our people.”
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba explained that the new MoU replaces a previous agreement that had become outdated and no longer aligned with 21st-century educational realities. “This new agreement captures our nations’ shift from an outdated agreement toward one that speaks to the realities of today, i.e., technology, digital learning, and collaborative research,” Ogamba said.
Italy’s Minister for University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, said the partnership will extend beyond equipment support to include joint academic programs, faculty exchanges, and student mobility. “We will implement the mobility of students, researchers, technologists, and professors,” Bernini said. Acknowledging achieved infrastructure milestones, Bernini added that “the main infrastructure remains human capital, that is the treasure we want to develop together.”
The cooperation will also promote the joint use of research infrastructure and drive collaboration in fields such as renewable energy, climate science, and applied AI. Ruto noted that his administration created the State Department for Science, Technology, and Innovation to ensure that knowledge remains central to Kenya’s growth strategy. Both governments expressed confidence that the agreement would cultivate a new generation of innovators and researchers capable of advancing sustainable development across Africa and Europe.
