Nairobi — Kenya has been selected to host an Open Source Programme Office (OSPO) under a new pilot project launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the European Union.

The announcement was made during the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025, where ITU revealed several initiatives aimed at strengthening digital ecosystems in Africa.

The OSPO, part of the Open Source Ecosystem Enabler (OSEE) project, is expected to support open-source software development and digital capacity building.

Other highlights included a EUR 15 million broadband mapping project for African countries, backed by the EU, and a digital public infrastructure roadmap for Kenya in partnership with Germany's GIZ and Foreign Office.

ITU also launched the fourth ATU Africa Innovation Challenge and unveiled the second cohort of its Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme, which attracted nearly 7,000 applicants from 185 countries.

The event featured sessions on women's participation in digital development and youth involvement in shaping tech policy.

The next regional meeting will take place in Kyrgyz Republic later this month, ahead of the WTDC-25 global summit scheduled for November in Azerbaijan.