Course overview

This Centennial Lab immerses you in Kenya’s rapidly evolving political economy and digital transformation, examining how one of Africa’s most influential states is navigating questions of technology, governance, development and global power. Through engagements with government institutions, leading technology firms, civil society organizations and community initiatives, you will explore how Kenya’s constitutional moment and its globally recognized tech ecosystem are reshaping debates around digital innovation, entrepreneurship, AI governance and state capacity across Africa.

Using Kenya as a case study, you will assess the region’s economic, political and social future through the lens of digital transformation — both the promise of innovation and entrepreneurship and the challenges of equitable growth, privacy, cybersecurity and international influence. U.S.-China competition in the region will be a recurring theme. After spending several months in the classroom studying the region through historical, economic, technological and diplomatic lenses, you will travel to Kenya to meet with leaders drawn from business, government, the media and beyond.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, you will have acquired the following skills and knowledge:

• A thorough understanding of Kenya’s political and economic development, including the significance of the 2010 Constitution and the rise of the “Silicon Savannah”
• The ability to assess the region’s economic, political and social future through the lens of digital transformation
• Gain deep insight into the promise of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as the challenges of equitable growth, privacy, and cybersecurity in Africa
• Understand international influence in the region, particularly the competition between the U.S. and China
• Cultivate the experiences needed to be effective future diplomats, business and tech executives, and policymakers focused on issues related to Africa
• Reflect on how field-based learning deepens understanding of African politics, development, and digital change

Itinerary highlights

You will travel from Parliament to major firms such as Safaricom and Microsoft, where you will engage with policymakers, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders at the center of Kenya’s digital future. You will also visit SHOFCO in Kibera to examine questions of inequality, informal urban life and grassroots social innovation from the ground up. Alongside Kenya’s major advances in fintech, digital infrastructure and mobile governance, the course critically investigates enduring challenges tied to inequality, unemployment, surveillance and uneven development. The experience culminates in a safari and broader reflection on the ecological, cultural and political-economic dimensions of a country undergoing rapid transformation in the twenty-first century.

Professor information

Professor Bulelani Jili

Bulelani Jili, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a leading scholar of digital governance, Africa–China relations, cybersecurity, AI governance, and the political economy of technology in the Global South. His work examines how emerging technologies—including surveillance systems, digital infrastructure, and AI—are reshaping sovereignty, development, and geopolitical competition across Africa and beyond. Dr. Jili’s research and commentary have appeared in leading academic journals and international outlets, including Nature, African Affairs, Theory, Culture & Society, The Economist, Financial Times, and Lawfare. He has advised leading technology firms, governments, and international organizations—including Microsoft, OpenAI, and the United Nations—and has briefed members of the U.S. Senate on issues related to digital governance, cybersecurity, AI policy, and geopolitical competition in the Global South. Dr. Jili earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University, an M.Phil. from University of Cambridge, and an M.A. in Economics from the Yenching Academy of Peking University in China.

Professor John Kraemer

John Kraemer, an associate professor in Georgetown University’s Department of Health Management and Policy and affiliated with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and the African Studies Program, will accompany Prof. Jili and the Centennial Lab in the course. Trained in both public health and the law, he focuses on the intersection of empirical evidence and public health policy, conducting substantive research on women’s and children’s health in rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and on road safety for vulnerable road users. His current and past projects include work with RTI International, the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative against women’s cancers, the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, and Last Mile Health. At Georgetown, he has taught undergraduate epidemiology, graduate quantitative methods, and a course on the intersection of democracy, rights, and public health policy.