Kenya’s membership of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) could help local startups reach new markets, strengthen digital-skills partnerships and give the country a collective platform in global debates on artificial intelligence, data and digital trade, according to Omar AlNemer, the organisation’s Chief of Council Affairs and Strategic Relations.
Speaking to Africa Digest News, AlNemer said the DCO was created to address a central contradiction in the digital economy: technology businesses can serve international customers, but the policy environment governing them remains largely fragmented along national borders.
“A startup can be created in Nairobi and potentially serve customers around the world, but it still has to navigate different rules on data, digital trade, AI, taxation and market access,” he said.
The Riyadh-based DCO positions itself as an international platform for cooperation among countries seeking more inclusive and sustainable digital-economy growth. Its agenda spans digital policy, cross-border data flows, AI governance, entrepreneurship, skills, digital public infrastructure and investment.
The global digital economy is characterised by uneven levels of maturity, infrastructure and institutional capacity. While some countries have advanced frameworks for data governance, digital government, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, others are still building foundational systems. That imbalance can leave developing economies with limited influence over international rules that increasingly determine how digital businesses operate.
“Many of the rules governing data, artificial intelligence and cross-border digital trade are being shaped today,” AlNemer said. “Countries such as Kenya should not simply inherit those rules; they should have a meaningful role in shaping them.”
The DCO describes this objective through the concept of the “Digital Majority” — ensuring that emerging and developing markets participate actively in shaping the global digital economy rather than merely adopting decisions made in larger technology markets.
Kenya already has strong bilateral and commercial relationships with the US, Europe, China and other major technology centres. However, AlNemer argued that DCO membership is not intended to replace these ties.
Instead, it offers a multilateral channel through which countries facing similar regulatory, investment and talent-development challenges can develop shared positions and exchange practical solutions. “Kenya’s bilateral relationships connect it to important individual markets; DCO membership adds a multilateral platform through which Kenya can connect markets, share solutions and help shape the wider digital economy,” he said.
The test of digital cooperation, AlNemer said, is whether it produces usable outcomes rather than declarations. In practice, he said this could include countries adopting proven digital-government tools rather than developing parallel systems from scratch; policymakers sharing approaches to AI regulation, data flows and digital trade; and startups gaining links to investors, commercial partners and new markets in other member states.
The organisation also aims to facilitate collaboration between governments and technology companies on specific implementation challenges, including digital skills, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
Kenya enters the arrangement with expertise of its own, particularly in mobile money and digital financial services. AlNemer said the country’s experience could help inform digital-finance development in other DCO member states, while Kenya could learn from peers working on digital government, cybersecurity, AI, investment and other areas.
More than 80% of Kenya’s population uses mobile-payment and money-transfer services, according to AlNemer, while mobile-money penetration reached 98% by the end of 2025. That experience gives Kenya a strong example of how digital platforms can expand access to financial services at scale.
The exchange, he said, is designed to be two-way. “Kenya is not joining simply to receive expertise,” AlNemer said. “Kenya has expertise to contribute.” For businesses, the most visible potential gain could be greater access to capital, partnerships and markets.
A Kenyan startup or small business could benefit if cooperation leads to more aligned digital-trade rules, stronger investor networks and easier access to commercial partners across DCO member countries. The organisation expects its membership expansion to increase its reach from 16 to 24 countries, representing roughly 980 million people.
That does not amount to a single, fully integrated market. But it could give Kenyan technology companies access to a broader network of policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs and potential customers than they would reach through a one-country relationship.
For workers and students, AlNemer pointed to the rapid shift in demand for digital capabilities. Collaboration on talent development could support initiatives in AI, software development, digital services and entrepreneurship, potentially giving young Kenyans stronger pathways into technology-enabled jobs.
For government, participation could create a route for Kenyan policymakers to contribute more directly to emerging conversations on AI governance, digital trade, data policy and inclusive digital transformation.
The country’s existing digital base gives it a credible starting point. Kenya’s ICT sector contributed an estimated 9.2% of GDP in 2024, while its digital economy is valued at about $4.2 billion and projected to approach $13 billion by 2035, according to the DCO.
The organisation should be able to point to concrete results within three years: Kenyan startups securing investment or partnerships through the DCO ecosystem; students, professionals, entrepreneurs and public officials gaining relevant skills and opportunities; and Kenya influencing regional or international policy discussions on data, AI and digital trade.
“Success for DCO is not about taking credit for Kenya’s digital transformation,” he said. “Kenya built that foundation itself.”
The more meaningful question, he added, is whether membership helps Kenya “multiply” that foundation by widening opportunities for its entrepreneurs, connecting policymakers to international cooperation and amplifying the country’s voice in the rules shaping the next phase of the digital economy.
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