Kenya has officially launched the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya AIST), a postgraduate research university modelled on the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, marking a major step in Africa’s science and technology ambitions.
In a statement shared with The Korea Herald, the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul cited the institution as Africa’s first university to be modelled on KAIST and a symbol of the continent’s shift toward homegrown innovation and scientific solutions.
The university will offer advanced programmes in artificial intelligence, nuclear science, vaccine development, quantum computing and engineering, fields seen as critical to the future global economy.
The embassy said Kenya’s youthful and entrepreneurial population, alongside its strong tech ecosystem exemplified by mobile money platform M-Pesa, positions the country to lead Africa’s next wave of innovation.
Kenyan President William Ruto awarded the university’s charter at a ceremony in Nairobi attended by senior South Korean officials, including National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, highlighting growing Korea-Kenya cooperation in science, technology and higher education. The Korea Herald
![Diplomatic Circuit [Bridge to Africa] Kenya launches Africa’s first university modelled on KAIST](/cache/mod_news_show_sp2/nssp2_thumbs/112/AA01_23vb_90x61.jpeg "Diplomatic Circuit [Bridge to Africa] Kenya launches Africa’s first university modelled on KAIST")