Kenya and US on Same Wavelength to Build Up the Silicon Savannah at AmCham Business Summit in Nairobi
On 9 September 2026, Kenya’s President William Ruto and US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia officially kicked off the US – East Africa Trade and Investment Summit 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was organized by the US Embassy and the local chapter of AmCham, with the support of the Government of Kenya. This edition saw the participation of over 800 delegates from more than 30 countries. The Government of Kenya’s declared target is to reach at least USD 500 million in new investments.
In his keynote remarks, President Ruto highlighted that Kenya has managed to attract USD 3.2 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2025, representing a substantial 38% year-on-year increase. According to UNCTAD, #FDI stock into Kenya has now crossed USD 12 billion, taking up more than 20% of East African regional share.
US tech giant Google stands out from the lot, with a cumulative USD one billion on its own. Google set up a product development center and AI lab, while also investing in digital infrastructure to enhance network reliability and speed. Google is also involved in the deployment of the Umoja (Unity in Swahili) subsea fiber optic cable to connect East Africa to the world as part of the broader African Connect initiative. With the digital connectivity in place, Google aims to corner the market via cloud services. Leveraging its geothermal power, the Government of Kenya also hopes to arrive at a deal with Microsoft for building an #AI data center in Olkaria.
Assistant Secretary Garcia commended the drive of Ruto to promote the Silicon Savannah, in a nod to Silicon Valley. The US intends firmly to maintain its lead in #hitech and AI. Garcia highlighted that the new Trump Administration has racked up USD 28 billion in deals across Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on an objective assessment, he emphasized that African countries are poised to become ‘world economic leaders’, as Africa possesses all the ingredients for success, including the market size, the natural resources, and the talent pool.