Kenya’s plan to become the first African nation to sell its citizens’ data has sparked privacy concerns, but the government said the strategy will support innovation and insisted personal information will be protected.

Authorities aim to sell 1,000 anonymized datasets over the next five years to potential customers, including researchers, businesses, NGOs, and innovators via subscriptions, per-use payments, or data-as-a-service offerings.

The project is expected to cost around $3.1 million to set up and operate, and could be rolled out as soon as next month.

The plan is an attempt to boost revenues as the government seeks to revive Kenya’s sluggish economy and plug a gaping fiscal deficit, which is expected to reach $8.6 billion in the 2026-2027 financial year. The move comes in the face of mounting public anger over the cost of living, driven by rising fuel prices as a result of the Iran war.

The new data policy draft argues the strategic use of data can help to drive Kenya’s digital socioeconomic transformation through innovation, inclusive growth, and competitive advantage. It describes data as a “strategic national asset” that, if properly regulated, can help unlock new economic opportunities.

“Our objective is not the sale of the data. The value of this data is that we will have new products from innovation, businesses,” John Tanui, the principal secretary in Kenya’s information ministry, told Semafor.

He did not disclose how much money Kenya could earn from the sales, saying: “People make data-based decisions, so it is not about the price.”