The UNESCO-Codemao partnership supports coding and artificial intelligence education in Kenyan schools.
UNESCO and Codemao support coding programmes in four counties, while a Machakos teacher plans to share practical robotics skills with neighbouring schools.
An AI education partnership between UNESCO and Chinese coding platform Codemao has trained more than 1,200 Kenyan students. The initiative has also helped 20 schools across four counties establish coding programmes.
The partnership introduces learners and teachers to artificial intelligence through coding and practical technology training. For Augustine Nzuki, a teacher at Tala Township Primary School in Machakos County, that training included a sponsored visit to Shenzhen, China.
AI education moves beyond classroom theory
Nzuki had previously taught robotics largely through theory. During the Shenzhen visit, however, he operated a drone and interacted with a robot for the first time.
He now plans to share his experience with 20 neighbouring schools. That would extend the exchange beyond his own classroom, giving other educators access to the practical knowledge he gained.
The initiative uses a train-the-trainer approach, helping educators pass their skills to colleagues and students. It also links coding instruction with digital literacy, rather than focusing only on access to advanced machines.
Meanwhile, China-Africa educational cooperation extends into vocational training through AI laboratories in Kenya and automation programmes in Tianjin, northern China. These exchanges connect African learners with Chinese technological expertise, with an emphasis on skills relevant to industry.
Cooperation alongside US-China technology rivalry
The Kenyan programme sits within a broader Chinese push for international cooperation on artificial intelligence. Beijing argues that developing countries should have a greater role in shaping the technology’s governance.
In 2024, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a Chinese-sponsored resolution on international cooperation in AI capacity-building. More than 140 countries co-sponsored the resolution, supporting efforts to strengthen countries’ ability to develop and use the technology.
However, cooperation initiatives operate alongside growing strategic competition between China and the United States. Washington argues that advanced semiconductors and computing systems could strengthen China’s military, intelligence and cyber capabilities.
US export controls have consequently restricted Chinese access to advanced chips, manufacturing equipment and related technologies. China, meanwhile, promotes AI applications across manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and public administration as part of its development agenda.
For Kenya, the UNESCO-Codemao partnership brings that wider technology debate into schools through teacher training and student coding programmes.
