By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
More than 400 developers,
entrepreneurs, technology professionals, students and innovators attended
ClawCon Nairobi, Africa’s first community-led personal artificial intelligence
conference, as interest grows in AI systems capable of carrying out tasks rather
than simply answering questions.
The inaugural event, held at
Strathmore University in Nairobi on September 16, 2026, brought together
participants from across Kenya’s technology ecosystem to explore the emerging
applications of personal AI and AI agents.
Much of the discussion
focused on OpenClaw, an open-source personal AI assistant that can run on a
user’s computer, server or cloud environment and, with the necessary
permissions, connect to selected communication channels, applications and
digital services.
The technology reflects a
broader shift in artificial intelligence towards AI agents that can perform
tasks, automate repetitive work and coordinate activities across different
digital platforms.
Unlike the traditional
chatbot model, personal AI systems can be configured around individual or
organisational requirements and used to support specific workflows. Potential
applications include research and information management, administrative tasks,
software development, content preparation and the coordination of recurring
business activities.
Developer and OpenClaw
community member Frank Odongkara said the technology could provide African
entrepreneurs, professionals and students with an affordable way to improve
productivity.
“OpenClaw is an exciting
technology leap for African entrepreneurs, professionals, and students. It’s
now possible to have an intelligent, personal assistant in your WhatsApp DM
that is just yours alone. And it costs next to nothing,” he said.
Hosted by First Circle
Capital Partner Agnes Aistleitner, ClawCon Nairobi featured demonstrations and
discussions on how personal AI agents could be applied to everyday work,
business operations and the development of new technology products.
Aistleitner said interest in
artificial intelligence was increasingly moving beyond the use of products
developed elsewhere, with developers and businesses examining how the
technologies can be built, adapted and applied to local needs.
“Interest is no longer
limited to using AI products developed elsewhere. Increasingly, developers and
businesses are looking at how these technologies can be built, adapted and
applied to local needs,” she said.
OpenClaw was created by
Austrian software developer and entrepreneur Peter Steinberger, who previously
founded PSPDFKit, a document technology company. The project, which began as a
personal initiative, has grown into an international open-source community
involving developers, entrepreneurs, researchers and users exploring personal
AI.
For African entrepreneurs
and small businesses, the technology could provide access to customisable AI
assistants capable of handling routine administrative work, supporting research
and information management, and providing capabilities that might otherwise
require additional staff or more advanced technology infrastructure.
“ClawCon Nairobi highlighted
a fundamental change in the way people are thinking about AI. The question is
increasingly shifting from what artificial intelligence can generate to what it
can actually do,” Aistleitner added.
The growing interest in
personal AI points to an emerging phase of the technology in which AI agents
could increasingly serve as an interface between people and the digital tools
they use, with potential implications for how individuals work, businesses operate
and entrepreneurs develop new products and services.
