Tallinn may be the birthplace of Skype and Bolt, but this week, the center of gravity for the Estonian tech ecosystem has shifted 6,000 kilometers south to Nairobi.
Latitude59, Estonia’s flagship tech conference, kicked off its third Kenyan satellite edition yesterday, officially opening its doors to a reported 2,500 participants. The event signals a maturing “digital diplomacy” strategy between the European Union and East Africa, moving beyond simple networking to focus on hard infrastructure, policy alignment, and capital deployment.
While European tech markets face a cooling period, the event’s organizers are betting on the “Silicon Savannah” as a critical partner for growth.
The Numbers: Scale and Scope
The event has scaled significantly since its initial foray into Kenya. According to official figures released by the organizers, the Nairobi edition has drawn:
- 2,500 total participants.
- 500 startup representatives.
- 200 investors (VCs, angels, and institutional).
- Delegates from 50 countries.
For context, the main Latitude59 event held in Tallinn in May 2024 attracted 3,500 attendees. The Nairobi edition is rapidly approaching parity with its parent event, highlighting the intense interest in the African tech thesis despite a global venture capital slowdown.
The Strategy: “Twin Transition”
The thematic anchor of this year’s gathering is the “Twin Transition” — the intersection of Digital and Green Innovation. This isn’t purely a private sector initiative; it is heavily backed by the public sector, specifically the European Union’s D4D Hub (Digital for Development).
The event is delivered in cooperation with ESTDEV (The Estonian Centre for International Development), positioning it as a vehicle for soft power as much as seed rounds. The goal is to export Estonia’s renowned digital governance model — e-residency, digital IDs, and interoperability — to an African context.
In his opening remarks, Daniel Schaer, Estonia’s Ambassador-at-Large for Africa, was blunt about the long-term intentions of the Baltic state.
“Estonia is in Kenya and we are here to stay. We are coming to cooperate, co-create, and learn from you,” Schaer said.
Bridging the Capital Gap
For the 500 startups in attendance, the primary draw is the 200 investors present. African startups have faced a severe funding crunch in the last 18 months. Latitude59 aims to act as a funnel for Nordic and Baltic capital looking for high-yield emerging market opportunities.
Liisi Org, CEO of Latitude59, framed the event as an exercise in ecosystem interoperability.
“Coming from Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people, we understand the power of collaboration… Every ecosystem has its own strengths, and our mission is to bring them together so that solutions built locally can grow globally,” Org stated.
Policy Meets Product
Unlike standard tech festivals that focus heavily on consumer apps, Latitude59 Kenya leans into “GovTech” and infrastructure. This is reflected in the speaker lineup. Taavi Kotka, the former CIO of Estonia and one of the architects of the country’s “e-Estonia” transformation, is set to discuss how to build an IT superpower from scratch — a narrative that resonates with Kenya’s current ICT goals.
On the Kenyan side, the event was opened by Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, representing the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. He characterized the partnership as a functional bridge for “digital partnerships driven by shared values.”
Also slated to speak is Dr. Myriam Sidibé, a global health expert, who will likely address the “Green” aspect of the agenda, focusing on how innovation can tackle systemic public health and social challenges.
The execution of the event involves a consortium of strategic partners, indicating the complexity of the operation. Alongside ESTDEV, partners include:
- Civitta: Management consultancy with a strong footprint in Central/Eastern Europe and increasingly Africa.
- Smart Africa: The alliance of African heads of state aimed at digitizing the continent.
- KOOD: A coding school model.
- Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS).
The Bottom Line
Latitude59’s persistence in Nairobi — now in its third year — suggests this is not a one-off experiment. Estonia seems determined to position itself as the European “gateway” to African tech. For African founders, the access to Baltic technical expertise and EU-backed funding instruments offers a lifeline during a capital drought. For Europe, it’s a strategic play to maintain relevance in Africa’s digital infrastructure race.