Daily Trends

Stakeholder Workshop to Demonstrate Game-Changing Technology That Reduces Policy Formulation Time from Years to Months
Visortech Solutions, in partnership with Yemaya Health Advisory, hosted a landmark workshop to introduce SERA.ai, Kenya’s first AI-driven health policy support tool designed to revolutionize how the country develops and updates critical health policies.

The workshop, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, brought together Ministry of Health officials, policy formulators, and health sector stakeholders to witness firsthand how artificial intelligence can transform Kenya’s traditionally lengthy policy development process.

The Challenge: Policy Lag in Critical Times

“Health policy formulation in Kenya has historically been a complex, multi-stakeholder process that can take months or even years to complete,” explained Dr. Nduku Kilonzo during the workshop announcement. “Policy updates frequently lag behind emerging evidence, even in urgent contexts such as disease outbreaks, when swift action can mean the difference between life and death.”

Dr. Kilonzo highlighted that policymakers face significant challenges in consolidating and analyzing vast amounts of evidence, drafting comprehensive policies that address critical gaps, and ensuring timely approval through complex bureaucratic processes.

SERA.ai: The Game-Changing Solution

SERA (Policy in Kiswahili) leverages advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) to address these systemic challenges by:

• Rapidly analyzing diverse health data sources and research materials from global and local databases.
• Synthesizing key findings into clear, actionable insights for policymakers.
• Providing contextualized, evidence-based policy recommendations tailored to Kenya’s unique health landscape.
• Supporting more inclusive and data-driven policy dialogues among stakeholders.
• Adapting global health evidence to local Kenyan context and needs.

“What makes SERA.ai unique is its ability to process complex health data from multiple sources including WHO databases, PubMed research, local Ministry reports, and stakeholder consultation feedback and synthesize this information into practical policy recommendations,” noted Dr. Kilonzo. “This isn’t about replacing human judgment, it’s about enhancing our decision making capabilities with comprehensive, evidence based insights.”

Proven Technology Ready for Real-World Impact
The development team has successfully built and released the Minimum Viable Product (MVP1) of SERA.ai, which has secured ethical approval from Strathmore University for stakeholder testing. Key features include:

• Multi-agent architecture with advanced web analysis and reference parsing capabilities.
• Document upload and query functionality allowing direct analysis of policy and research documents.
• Built-in feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement based on user input.
• Automated source referencing ensuring all recommendations are traceable and evidence backed.
• Intelligent prompt suggestions to guide users in framing effective queries.

Workshop Objectives and Expected Outcomes
Dr. Kilonzo emphasized that the workshop serves three critical purposes:

1. Demonstrate SERA.ai’s current capabilities to key stakeholders and collect valuable feedback on its utility, accuracy, and integration potential.
2. Identify strengths and improvement areas within existing health policy formulation processes.
3. Co-develop an implementation roadmap for integrating SERA.ai into ongoing and future health policy work.

Addressing Critical Health Challenges

The workshop showcased SERA.ai’s potential impact across various health policy scenarios, including:

• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) policy development requiring cross-sector coordination.
• Pandemic preparedness protocols that demand rapid evidence synthesis.
• Maternal health guideline adjustments based on new public health legislation.
• TB management policy updates incorporating emerging diagnostic technologies.
• Budget approval processes requiring comprehensive policy briefs.

“During health emergencies like COVID-19, we saw how critical timely, evidence based policy decisions can be,” stated Dr. Kilonzo. “SERA.ai represents our opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive, ensuring our policies keep pace with both emerging threats and evolving solutions.”

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration

The workshop brought together diverse stakeholders including:

• Ministry of Health officials.
• Policy formulators and health advisors.
• Health sector stakeholders involved in policy review and approval processes.
• Technical development teams including AI engineers and UI/UX designers.
• Representatives from research institutions and policy advocacy organizations.

Ethical AI Development

Dr. Kilonzo stressed the project’s commitment to ethical AI deployment: “SERA.ai is grounded in ethical responsibility and cultural awareness. We recognize that health policy is deeply embedded within Kenya’s diverse cultural landscape, and our approach respects the rights, beliefs, and social context of all participants and stakeholders.”

The system incorporates robust data security measures, with encrypted prompts, role-based access controls, and strict purpose limitations for all collected data.

Looking Toward the Future

The expected benefits of SERA.ai implementation include:

• Efficiency gains: Reducing policy development time from years to months.
• Enhanced evidence integration: Continuous incorporation of new research findings.
• Improved stakeholder alignment: Greater transparency and participation across the policy ecosystem.
• Better policy coherence: Enhanced ability to identify conflicts or redundancies across policy domains.

“This workshop represents more than just a technology demonstration,” concluded Dr. Kilonzo. “It’s about reimagining how we approach health policy in Kenya – making it faster, more evidence-based, and more responsive to the needs of our people.”