Kenya Partners With Intel to Teach AI Skills in Public Libraries

Kenya has launched a major national education project in partnership with global technology giant Intel to bring artificial intelligence training to everyday citizens through public libraries.

While advanced computer skills are usually taught in expensive universities or private city academies, this initiative aims to bring digital literacy directly into local neighborhoods.

By opening up free learning centers inside public reading rooms and mobile book vans, the project helps young people, farm workers, small business owners, and adult learners understand how smart computer software works so they can use simple technology tools in their daily lives and jobs.

The international technology agreement was formally signed on the sidelines of the eighty-first United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

Signed by Kenya’s State Department for Information, Communications, and Digital Economy, the project brings together the Kenya National Library Service, global microchip manufacturer Intel, and local innovation group Mandela AI Hub Foundation.

Under the umbrella of Intel’s “AI for Citizens” learning framework, the partners will roll out online learning modules alongside live guided study groups across town libraries and rural mobile library buses to ensure citizens outside major urban hubs can participate for free.

The primary reason Kenyan officials are bringing AI lessons into community libraries right now is that traditional classrooms cannot reach millions of out-of-school youths and rural adults who need modern job skills.

As modern businesses, banks, and government offices adopt computer automation, people who lack basic technical understanding risk being left behind in the job market.

Public libraries already offer community internet access, quiet study rooms, and trusted local guidance. Using existing library networks allows the government to deliver practical tech training quickly without spending millions building new school facilities.

Explaining how expanding digital education into public community centers opens up new career paths for everyday citizens, Kenya State Department for ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary John Kipchumba Tanui stated that “this partnership takes AI literacy beyond the traditional classroom and into Kenya’s public library network, creating accessible pathways for young people, communities and lifelong learners to understand and responsibly use emerging technologies”.

Detailing the government’s long-term vision to build a modern tech-savvy workforce across East Africa, Principal Secretary John Kipchumba Tanui added that “for Kenya, the ambition is clear: build an AI-ready society where digital skills and emerging technologies translate into greater opportunity, innovation and inclusive economic participation”.

Highlighting why combining local community libraries with global technology leaders helps bridge the digital divide, digital inclusion researchers observing the launch noted that “libraries can provide an existing local access point for people who may not otherwise have easy access to training, devices, or reliable connectivity”.

By bringing free AI training into public libraries, Kenya and Intel are making modern digital skills accessible to everyone.

Teaching everyday citizens how to use smart software safely ensures that local communities can find good jobs, grow local businesses, and build a prosperous digital economy.