What are your thoughts?

Guest: Ambassador Philip Thigo - The Special Envoy on Technology for Kenya

AI hype is loud, but the real question is quieter: are we building the infrastructure that makes AI work for us, or are we stuck as permanent users of other people’s systems? I’m joined by Ambassador Philip Thigo, the only African tech envoy, to unpack what “AI is infrastructure” means from a Kenyan and African perspective and why that framing changes everything from investment to regulation.

We break down the AI stack in plain language: compute, data, talent, use cases, and model innovation, including the hard truth that many African languages are missing from today’s dominant models. Philip argues that talent is the shortest path to sovereignty, particularly for countries that cannot realistically own massive compute or hyperscale datasets. We discuss small language models, local context, and why being a builder matters, with vivid examples such as flood prediction and the type of granular data that global models often overlook.

From there, we zoom out to the money and the power. Why do investors keep funding only “the model,” and what returns exist in energy, infrastructure, and applied AI use cases? How do development banks catch up when AI moves faster than traditional timelines? We also tackle data localization versus real data governance, the value of data, and the information battlefield of misinformation and disinformation, including the need to label synthetic content and raise the economic cost of harm.

If you care about Kenya’s AI strategy, Africa’s AI future, AI policy, data governance, and tech diplomacy, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s building, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Guest: Serge Blockmans - Independent Advisor | Change Management

Go live is a moment. Transformation is a behavior change that survives the moment.

I sit down with Serge Blockmans, who helped bring SAP and ERP into the East African market, to revisit what digital transformation looked like in Kenya before the term became fashionable. Back then, organizations wanted controls, governance, and trustworthy data, not buzzwords. That foundation still shapes today’s ERP implementation decisions across finance, procurement, logistics, HR, and payroll.

From there, we get honest about why so many programs stall after the system launches. Serge makes the case that “best practice” can become a convenient excuse to skip business analysis, process design, and real ownership. We delve into why a PMO is still often treated as optional, why change management is sometimes confused with project management, and how resistance to change can manifest in various settings, from boardrooms to procurement committees to frontline super users.

Then we step into AI transformation. Embedded AI in SAP and ERP often resembles an advanced form of robotic process automation: faster tasks, fewer clicks, quicker analytics. However, if your processes and data are disorganized, AI can exacerbate the mess even faster. We also explore agentic AI, native AI apps, and the uncomfortable truth that your organization remains legally accountable even when an “autonomous” workflow makes the call.

If you lead technology, transformation, or operations, you’ll leave with clearer definitions of success, sharper questions to ask before buying tools, and a strong reminder to protect the change management budget.

Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest people challenge you’ve seen in transformation.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Guest: Justice Mukaro - Founder of Strateji & Zimbabwean entrepreneur

What happens when Africa stops importing assumptions and starts exporting standards? We sit down with founder and computer scientist Justice Mukaro to unpack a bold, practical plan for sovereign AI: Amanzi Cloud, a decentralized infrastructure designed to keep data local, cut costs, and connect every country into one living network.

Justice’s water metaphor makes complex systems feel simple. Traditional hyperscalers are like dams; Amanzi is a network of boreholes—nodes in data centers, institutions, and smaller machines—linked by secure “pipes” that track flow, prevent leaks, and respect each nation’s laws. That shift unlocks data sovereignty without isolation, enabling cross-border collaboration, fair pricing for builders, and privacy-first compute that aligns with global trends toward decentralization. From a chance intro to a data center tour to a new partnership, we map how relationships move pilots from pitch to reality.

We also go deep on the human side of infrastructure: how Afrocentric tech means more than branding; why educating through product beats slide decks; and what it takes to be a diplomatic innovator who can talk policy on Monday and ship code on Tuesday. Justice traces Strategy’s pivots—from WhatsApp-native surveys to dataset curation to hardware-aware cloud design—showing how mission fidelity and flexibility can coexist. The stakes are clear: if Africa doesn’t feed its context into AI, the systems shaping daily life will misread the continent and harden those errors at scale.

Walk away with a clear mental model for decentralized cloud, concrete steps for building sovereign data pathways, and founder-grade lessons on partnerships, pricing, and courage. If you care about AI ethics, privacy, and equitable growth—from Nairobi to Harare to Lagos—this conversation is a roadmap and a rallying cry.

Subscribe, share with a builder or policymaker in your circle, and leave a review telling us: what’s the first node your community needs?

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Tech Talk Africa | Season 2 Episode 02: After The Hype

Guest: Harry Hare, Chairman & Publisher at CIO Africa

A pandemic rewired our habits, but did it truly change our leadership? We open the door on Kenya’s post-COVID tech reality—how hybrid work became muscle memory, how decision-making evolved, and where old instincts still hold back progress. Then we wade into the storm ahead: elections, uncertainty, and AI stepping onto the political stage. From deepfakes that stress-test public trust to hyper-targeted messages that could raise the quality of civic engagement, we map the risks, the safeguards, and the surprising opportunities for those who prepare.

We also challenge a popular narrative: AI isn’t a bubble; the hype is. Real value sits in workflows where data governance, model observability, and human-in-the-loop controls turn experiments into reliable operations. That shift depends on skills and structure—teams that can instrument CRMs, segment audiences responsibly, and build processes that fail safely. Policy enters here, but only if it points to a coherent North Star. Regions that commit to practical bets—chip assembly, logistics, data centers—create ecosystems that attract capital and talent. Clarity compounds.

Inclusion is not a side panel; it is a performance edge. We talk candidly about women in tech leadership—why visibility lags, how confidence and nomination pipelines stall, and what it takes to get more women shaping models, data, and product decisions. The recurring theme is scale: Africa doesn’t lack creativity; it lacks the structures to grow pilots into platforms. Strong foundations, smarter governance, and regional market depth can change that. We may have missed the internet wave, but AI offers a second chance—if we align, build guardrails, and scale what works.

If this conversation sparked a thought, share it with a friend, subscribe for more Tech Talk Africa, and leave a review with the one shift you think Kenya must make next.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Tech Talk Africa | Season 2 Episode 01: The AI Infrastructure Reckoning

Guest: Michael Michie, Co-founder of EverseTech and Special Advisor on AI to the Kenyan Government

Africa’s digital future isn't just about the code we write; it’s being laid in the cables, servers, and power grids that most people will never see. In this season premiere, we move past the headlines to ask the hard questions: Who owns the compute? Who controls the data? And who pays the energy bill when ambition outpaces reality?

We sit down with Michael Michie, a tech founder and a leading voice in Kenya’s AI strategy, to dissect the systems beneath the story. Michael shares his journey from a childhood obsession with hardware to the "perfect pivot" for EverseTech: solving the infrastructure accountability gap in Africa. We explore why the oversimplification of AI scares him and why he believes the hype needs to "die" so the real work can begin.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Cost of Entry: Michael breaks down the staggering reality of building a data center—starting at roughly 5 billion Kenya Shillings ($38M+) just for the facility, before a single GPU is even plugged in.
• The Power Paradox: We dive into why "energy" is the most critical infrastructure milestone for 2030. Michael explains why many high-end servers purchased by organizations sit idle because they require specialized three-phase power that standard office power grids don't provide.
• Data Findability vs. Scarcity: Contrary to popular belief, Michael argues Africa doesn't have a "lack of data" but a findability and storage issue. He explores how to unlock "machine-readable" data from healthcare and traditional recorded information.
• Sovereignty and "Going Local": His advice for CIOs is bold: "Get off the global cloud." Moving AI workloads to local infrastructure can be roughly 30% cheaper and is essential for data sovereignty.
• Climate & Context: We tackle the "Animals vs. Machines" debate. Michael contextualizes AI's environmental impact, noting that while local water and power issues are real, industries like agriculture currently have a much larger global footprint.

Is Africa ready to build the foundations that carry our tech ambitions? Hit play to hear Michael Michie’s blueprint for a sustainable, localized AI future.

Subscribe for a season of deepening the conversation.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Tech Talk Africa – Episode 10: Law, Code, And The African Future

Guest: Richard Odongo, Senior Associate (IP & Technology) at Bowmans

What happens when Africa’s most dynamic innovators meet laws that are still catching up to AI’s speed?

We sit down with Richard Odongo, Senior Associate (IP & Technology) at Bowmans (Law Firm), to map the real terrain: who owns AI-generated work, how data should move across borders, and what “responsible AI” looks like when livelihoods and culture are on the line.

We start with the major shifts: regulators across the continent are shifting from reactive penalties to smarter engagement, and countries like Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa are creating conditions where innovators can succeed. Richard explains why dialogue-first oversight is better than quick fines, and how policy teams, ESG experts, and lawyers can work together to lower risk without losing momentum. His advice is practical: educate regulators about the technology, classify data by sensitivity, and use targeted obligations to protect what truly matters.

The ownership debate becomes real when AI creates music or drafts inventions. Richard describes how ownership depends on meaningful human input and tight contracts: attribution rules, licensing scopes, revenue sharing, and clear responsibilities among model providers, creators, and platforms. We also explore data sovereignty, from local copies for elections and health data to secure cross-border flows that enable analytics, BPO work, and safe travel systems. Infrastructure is also crucial—energy-efficient data centers, resilient networks, and ESG considerations that help AI stay sustainable long-term.

Ethics shifts from a buzzword to a blueprint: fairness, bias reduction, source credit, and transparency that consumers can see. And because context is key, we discuss localizing frameworks for African languages, cultures, and public services. Richard’s final advice for future legal tech leaders is simple but powerful: choose a niche, learn persistently, stay humble, and build with integrity.

Ready to think beyond hype to the real rules of the road? Hit play, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review with the one change you want to see in Africa’s AI future.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Tech Talk Africa – Episode 9: A Woman Shaping Africa’s Digital Financial Future

Guest: Diana Gathoni, Digital Commercialisation Senior Manager

In this inspiring episode of Tech Talk Africa, host Stella sits down with Diana Gathoni, a powerhouse in Africa’s digital transformation space. From her early days as a banking intern to leading digital commercialization at ABSA, Diana’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.

She opens up about navigating fintech, consulting, and banking—building digital ecosystems that empower SMEs, drive financial inclusion, and reshape customer experience across the continent. Diana also reflects on her personal growth as a mother and leader in tech, sharing the highs and hurdles of balancing ambition, agility, and authenticity.

Listeners will learn how she’s helping shape Africa’s digital finance future, what it takes to innovate sustainably in regulated industries, and why collaboration between startups, banks, and regulators is key to lasting impact.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

Tech Talk Africa – Episode 8: Africa’s Higher Education Sector and Technology

Guest: Dr. Nico Elema, Director of the Centre for Collaboration in Africa at Stellenbosch University

In this episode, host Stella Gichuhi speaks with Dr. Nico Elema, Director of the Center for Collaboration in Africa at Stellenbosch University.

Together, they explore how African universities can foster innovation, technology transfer, and equitable partnerships across the continent. Dr. Elema shares insights on contextualizing education, empowering youth, and blending cultural authenticity with digital transformation to shape Africa’s global academic future.

Tune in for a fresh perspective on how education is transforming the digital age of today.

Credits
Host:

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer:

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan