Seoul-based company leverages Middle East success to tackle Kenya’s urban mobility challenges
Nairobi, Kenya — South Korean artificial intelligence company Nota AI has secured a contract to supply its advanced Smart Intersection System for Nairobi’s ambitious Intelligent Transport System (ITS) project, marking the firm’s first major expansion into the African market.
The deal, announced on December 16, 2025, positions Nota AI as a key technology provider in Kenya’s Sh7.9 billion ($61 million) initiative to modernize urban traffic management across the capital city. The company will work alongside HANIL STM, which handles system design and management, as part of a broader Traffic Control Center project jointly led by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and South Korea’s LG CNS.
Building on Middle East Success
Nota AI’s entry into the Kenyan market follows a series of successful deployments in the Middle East and North America. The company has established partnerships with the UAE transport infrastructure company ATS and secured a supply contract with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The firm has also conducted successful trials in Lakewood, USA, working with Sony on pedestrian safety support and traffic volume analysis.
CEO Myungsu Chae expressed enthusiasm about expanding the company’s geographic footprint, noting that the firm is pleased its AI compression and optimization technology will contribute to traffic innovation in Nairobi after their success in Dubai.
Edge-Based AI Technology
At the heart of Nota AI’s offering is its proprietary AI model compression and optimization technology, designed specifically for edge computing environments. The Smart Intersection System processes data locally at intersections rather than relying on centralized servers, enabling real-time analysis of vehicle types, traffic volume, queue length, and other critical metrics.
The technology compresses AI models and tailors them for local CCTV cameras at intersections, allowing real-time vehicle classification and traffic analysis without central server dependency. This approach offers significant advantages in terms of cost efficiency, as a single edge device can simultaneously manage multiple CCTV channels while processing data in real time.
The system provides traffic managers with immediate access to current traffic conditions while generating valuable data for future optimization of intersection operations. Since all analysis occurs at the edge, the system operates stably while minimizing server construction and maintenance costs.
Addressing Nairobi’s Traffic Crisis
Nairobi’s traffic congestion represents a severe drain on Kenya’s economy, with estimates suggesting the problem costs approximately Sh120 billion annually. The city’s residents routinely experience lengthy commutes, with a 10-kilometer journey often taking more than an hour during peak periods.
The ITS project will initially target 25 of Nairobi’s most congested intersections, including critical junctions such as Moi Avenue/Kenyatta Avenue, Mbagathi Way/Lang’ata Road, and Limuru Road/Muthaiga Road. The first phase is scheduled for completion by February 2027, with plans to expand the system to cover 125 intersections across the city.
A new Traffic Management Centre at City Cabanas on Mombasa Road will serve as the nerve center for the system, housing engineers, police, and data specialists who will monitor real-time traffic data from the network of smart intersections.
Technology Meets Local Challenges
The project represents Kenya’s most significant investment in advanced traffic management technology to date. The system will employ AI-driven analysis to optimize signal timing based on traffic patterns, giving priority to more congested routes and reducing unnecessary stops.
Beyond managing traffic flow, the system will include automated enforcement capabilities. The network of cameras will detect violations such as speeding, running red lights, and illegal lane changes, potentially improving road safety while reducing opportunities for corruption through automated rather than manual enforcement.
The initiative builds on a successful pilot program KURA previously implemented with Huawei on the Western Ringroad from Yaya Centre to Waiyaki Way, which demonstrated the viability of intelligent traffic systems in the Kenyan context.
Global Expansion Strategy
For Nota AI, the Nairobi contract represents a strategic milestone in the company’s global commercialization efforts. The firm has systematically built a portfolio of international projects, from South Korea and the Middle East to North America and now Africa.
The company aims to further expand the influence of its AI compression and optimization technology in the global market through successful completion of the Nairobi project.
The financing for the project comes from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund through the Export-Import Bank of Korea, reflecting broader South Korean investment in African infrastructure development.
Looking Ahead
As Nairobi prepares to roll out this sophisticated traffic management system, the project carries significance beyond Kenya’s borders. It demonstrates the potential for advanced AI technologies, originally developed for markets like Dubai and Seoul, to address urban mobility challenges in rapidly growing African cities.
The success or failure of Nairobi’s ITS implementation will likely influence similar initiatives across the continent, where many major cities grapple with severe traffic congestion and limited infrastructure. For Nota AI, it represents an opportunity to prove that its edge-based AI solutions can deliver results in diverse urban environments with varying infrastructure conditions.
With construction set to begin in the coming weeks, Nairobi’s commuters and businesses will be watching closely to see if this fusion of South Korean technology and Kenyan ambition can finally untangle the capital’s notorious traffic jams.
The Nairobi Intelligent Transport System is financed by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund via the Export-Import Bank of Korea, with an initial phase budget of Sh7.9 billion covering 25 major intersections.
