Kenya’s major ICT plan

Mid last month the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Kenya ICT Board launched an ambitious national ICT master plan which seeks to transform the country as a regional technology hub. The initiative seeks to make a deeper integration of ICT in the current education system and business processes to help transform the country into a knowledge-based society in five years.

“Every citizen, home, and institution will be connected through a countrywide robust, accessible, and affordable ICT infrastructure. Kenya will become the leading ICT hub in Africa, attracting leading global players and generating globally respected local entrepreneurship and innovation,” Communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said at the launch.

The plan also hopes to register over 500 new firms, create over 50,000 jobs in the sector, and get every homestead connected to high-speed and affordable Internet in the next five years. In January, President Kibaki officiated over a ground-breaking ceremony to the proposed Konza Techno City at Malili Township, Makueni County, which is expected to become one of Africa’s biggest ICT cities.

The Sh8 billion Konza techno park is expected to host government data centres, business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, a science park, a convention centre, as well as international schools and health centres. The Vision 2030 flagship project is further expected to create at least 200,000 jobs in the city alone.

Already, over 20 multinational and local companies have lined up to invest in Konza city. These include Safaricom, Craft Silicon, Toyota, Google, and BlackBerry. Served with four undersea fibre-optic cables, Kenya has made significant strides in achieving high-speed connectivity compared to other countries in the region. However, high inland fibre costs are denying consumers a chance to enjoy cheap Internet.

Outgoing Kenya ICT board chief executive Paul Kukubo said the government will enter into new partnerships with multinationals to improve last mile connectivity across the country. The five-year plan has set out seven key intervention areas under the Vision 2030 social pillar, including education and training, health, water and sanitation, environment, housing and urbanisation, gender, youth and vulnerable groups, social equity and poverty reduction.

Under the economic pillar, the initiative will focus on fostering a deeper integration of ICTs in tourism, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, business process outsourcing and financial services, and the creative industry.