- ITW Africa 2025 opens in Nairobi with industry and government leaders.
- Kenya outlines fibre rollout, hospital connectivity and digital hubs plan.
What happened: ITW Africa 2025 opens in Nairobi
ITW Africa 2025 officially opened in Nairobi, Kenya, convening telecom executives, policymakers, and infrastructure providers to discuss Africa’s digital transformation (Capacity Media).
James Turuthi, chairman of Frontier Optical Networks—a Kenyan company specialising in fibre-optic infrastructure—emphasised the importance of partnerships in accelerating digital adoption. He highlighted Kenya’s six submarine cable landings, which position the country as a regional internet hub.
Turuthi also outlined the Kenya Digital Superhighway Project, which aims to connect 1.2 million homes to fibre, equip 5,000 hospitals with internet access, and establish 1,450 digital hubs nationwide. Silvia Peneva, managing director of ITW and the Global Leaders Forum, noted that Africa “has the fundamentals to succeed in this race,” but urged stakeholders to “go faster together” to fully leverage opportunities. The event attracted participants from across Africa, underscoring Nairobi’s growing reputation as a centre for tech innovation and telecom policy discussion.
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Why it‘s important
The summit highlights that Africa’s digital progress depends on a combination of infrastructure development, strategic projects, and supportive policies. Kenya’s initiatives—expanding fibre networks, improving hospital connectivity, and creating digital hubs—illustrate how targeted investment can strengthen public services while enabling private sector innovation. Frontier Optical Networks’ involvement shows that local firms can play transformative roles, complementing a decade of growth in subsea and terrestrial networks.
Despite these advances, Africa still faces a substantial connectivity gap, particularly in rural and underserved regions. ITW Africa’s focus on collaboration signals a shift from planning to implementation, with practical projects demonstrating that rapid progress is possible when government, industry, and technology providers work together. By providing a clear roadmap, Kenya offers lessons for other countries aiming to accelerate digitalisation. Overall, these developments position Africa as an emerging player in the global digital economy, promising enhanced economic growth, improved public services, and increased competitiveness in technology and innovation.
