KANSIIME HAMZA: The Afro-Arab Youth Are Not Waiting for Permission: How Young Innovators Are Rewriting the Region’s Digital Future

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion piece by Hamza Kansiime arguing that young people in the Afro-Arab region are increasingly shaping the digital economy rather than waiting for institutions to include them. The article centers on a February 2026 gathering at the Egypt International Exhibition Center, where more than 350 AI companies and startups from over 30 countries met at the inaugural AI Everything Middle East & Africa Summit. It says the event highlighted a broader shift toward regional technology development, especially with Egypt’s launch of Karnak, described as the country’s first national large language model.

The piece presents Karnak as a symbol of local innovation because it was designed to reflect Arabic language and cultural context, and it frames the model as infrastructure that other startups and businesses can build on. It also points to examples of startup activity in Cairo, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, including AI, fintech and digital banking ventures, to show that youth-led entrepreneurship is expanding across the region. Some funding and sector figures are cited in the article as signs of momentum.

At the same time, the author warns that growth is uneven. The article notes barriers such as limited digital identity coverage, weak access to finance, the rural-urban digital divide, and youth unemployment in parts of the region. It argues that governments, schools and private companies need to invest more in digital skills, inclusion and real decision-making roles for young people.

More broadly, the piece reflects a common policy debate in Africa and the Middle East: whether digital transformation will narrow opportunity gaps or leave many young people behind if infrastructure and training do not keep pace.