Sama, the leader in purpose-built, responsible enterprise AI with agile data labelling for model development and supervised fine-tuning, today announced it will collaborate with Homa Bay County in developing an AI curriculum tailored for vocational training institutes in Kenya.
Vocational training institutes in Homa Bay County will serve as the launch pad for this initiative as Sama seeks to expand its delivery centers across the country. As part of the arrangement, students from these institutes will contribute to the value chain of Sama’s delivery centers. Sama aims to double its workforce in Kenya.
Speaking during a tour of Sama’s Nairobi delivery centre, Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga emphasized that Kenya has a large pool of talented youth capable of contributing to global AI development, similar to the success seen in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector in India and Poland.
She further noted that Homa Bay County is at the tail end of setting up a well-developed special economic zone equipped with essential infrastructure, which would be ideal for the BPO sector players, including those in the AI field.
“Homabay is an ideal investment destination for the BPO sector. We have established a special economic zone with electricity, ready-to-use Class A, B, and C office spaces, and high-speed internet access,” Governor Wanga said.
The partnership will initially focus on developing an AI curriculum for the county’s vocational institutes and establishing an AI value chain delivery centre in Homa Bay County with a potential to employ about 350 youth at the beginning. The youth will be recruited under the Sama impact programme.
During the tour, Sama, Vice President of Global Delivery Annepeace Alwala, welcomed Homa Bay County’s commitment to supporting Sama as it looks to scale its operations outside the traditional investment hub in Nairobi, offering competitive incentives for growth.
“We are excited about the potential possibilities of the partnership with Homa Bay County to create opportunities within the AI value chain. Sama has been operational in Kenya for the past 15 years, consistently creating quality formal jobs for Kenyans. The company provides AI value chain solutions for sectors such as self-driving cars, virtual reality gaming, fashion segmentation, and agricultural solutions for crop disease protection,” Ms Alwala said.
Economic players are investing heavily in AI, with projections indicating that investments will surpass US$2 trillion by 2030. The AI sector presents significant opportunities for the BPO industry as it requires substantial human intervention to build and validate input data.
Ms. Alwala noted that the global BPO market is valued at over US$262 billion, with African countries emerging as the next growth frontiers. She emphasized the critical role of the BPO sector in developing AI systems, which are essential in powering industries such as automotive, retail, agriculture, and food technology.
Senior officials from Homa Bay County, including Chief of Staff Charles Odhiambo and Director of Youth Affairs Silas Rabah, also attended the tour.