The University of Nairobi (UoN) formally opened the doors of the African Quantum Computing Research Centre (AQCRC) on 14 June 2026, inaugurating what officials and independent experts confirm is the first facility of its kind on the continent dedicated exclusively to quantum information science. The centre, housed in a newly constructed wing of the Faculty of Engineering complex on the Lower Kabete campus, represents a five-year investment of Sh2.1 billion drawn from national government allocations, the African Development Bank’s Science and Technology Fund, and an in-kind partnership with IBM Research Africa.
Quantum computing — which exploits the principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations exponentially faster than classical computers for specific problem classes — is widely viewed as one of the defining technologies of the coming decade, with applications in drug discovery, financial modelling, cryptography, climate simulation, and materials science. Until now, African researchers seeking hands-on access to quantum hardware have had to collaborate remotely with facilities in the United States, Europe, or China, a dependency that has hampered the development of homegrown expertise.
What the Centre Offers
The AQCRC hosts a 27-qubit IBM Quantum System One — the first physical quantum processor installed on African soil — alongside a high-performance classical computing cluster for hybrid quantum-classical workloads. It will operate as an open-access facility for researchers from all 54 African Union member states, with an annual allocation of computing time reserved specifically for researchers from least-developed countries. IBM has committed to upgrading the processor to a 133-qubit system by 2028 as part of its global hardware roadmap, which would maintain the centre’s competitive relevance as the global field advances rapidly.
“Africa must not again be in the position of adopting a technology that others built, on terms that others set,” said UoN Vice-Chancellor Prof Kiama Gitahi at the inauguration ceremony, attended by Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba and African Union Commissioner for Education Amina Smaili. “We are here to build quantum scientists, not quantum consumers.”
The centre’s inaugural cohort consists of 34 PhD researchers and 12 postdoctoral fellows recruited from twelve African countries including Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Rwanda, and Ghana, alongside Kenyan graduates. Their research portfolios span quantum algorithms for agricultural supply-chain optimisation, quantum cryptography protocols for mobile money security — a domain of obvious strategic relevance given M-Pesa’s 38 million active users — and quantum machine learning for early disease detection.
Kenya’s Broader Technology Ambition
The AQCRC fits within a wider technology ecosystem that Kenya has been assembling across the Ruto administration’s term. The Konza Technopolis development, 64 kilometres south-east of Nairobi, now hosts over 80 technology companies and is positioned to absorb applied quantum research outputs as they mature. The government’s Digital Superhighway initiative has extended fibre connectivity to 1,450 public institutions since 2023, creating the data infrastructure that feeds classical computing and positions the country for quantum-era requirements.
IBM Research Africa Director Dr Segun Sangoleye, who relocated his division’s headquarters from Johannesburg to Nairobi in 2025 citing Kenya’s talent density, said the partnership was driven by commercial logic as well as development goals. “Kenya produces more mathematics and physics graduates per capita than any other sub-Saharan African country. Our job is to give those graduates a reason to stay on the continent,” he said.
The centre will also run an undergraduate quantum literacy programme, delivered jointly with Kenyatta University and Strathmore University, that aims to expose 2,000 undergraduate students annually to quantum concepts through short courses and hackathons. A partnership with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development will develop quantum-readiness modules for CBC Senior School STEM learners from 2027 — a long-horizon investment in the pipeline of future researchers.
Challenges Ahead
Quantum computing research is expensive, highly specialised, and demands near-perfect environmental control — cryogenic cooling of the quantum processor must maintain temperatures close to absolute zero, a requirement that places heavy demands on a facility operating in Nairobi’s climate and power infrastructure. The centre has invested in redundant cooling systems and an uninterruptible power supply, but engineers acknowledge that Kenya Power’s occasional outages represent an ongoing operational risk that classical IT facilities have long learned to manage but that quantum hardware tolerates far less forgivingly.
Talent retention is a second challenge. Quantum scientists trained in Nairobi will attract attention from research institutions and technology companies in Europe, the Gulf, and North America offering salaries that no Kenyan university can match. The centre’s founding director, Prof Dorothy Radoli — formerly of MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics — acknowledged the risk plainly. “We cannot compete on salary alone. We compete on mission, on proximity to African problems, and on the opportunity to be first. For the right scientist, that is enough.”
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