Technology to fuel key areas of economy
What you need to know:
With the devolved government, there is need for connectivity and access to these technologies across the country.
- Technology also has the potential to grow the agricultural sector.
By providing relevant, value-adding, timely information to farmers to enhance productivity especially for small holder farmers.
Business cannot thrive in an environment of poverty. It is therefore in the interest of the private sector that government-led initiatives aimed at delivering a high quality of life to all citizens such as Vision 2030 and the Big Four succeed.
Fostering inclusive growth and accelerating the pace of poverty reduction augurs well for business. It means wider, deeper markets and consumers with higher spending power. Besides, according to the World Bank's Kenya Economic Update, private sector growth does accelerate poverty reduction.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
However, contrary to popular opinion, the successful delivery of the government’s development agenda as enshrined in the Big Four needs more than just strategic investment and policies in these sectors. It requires matching contribution from other sectors, in our case, information and communication technology. Technology continues to play a pivotal role in Kenya’s economy and remains in pole position to accelerate growth. Its core contribution was demonstrated in the Kenya Economic Survey 2018, where the sector recorded an impressive 11 per cent growth in a year marked by significant economic slump due to prolonged electioneering.
Thus, even in delivering affordable housing, food security, manufacturing and universal healthcare, technology is paramount. Each of these priority sectors have unique technological needs that will help them flourish, the pervasiveness of technology further making it a perfect vehicle for driving growth.
CONNECTIVITY
Take the drive towards affordable housing, for instance. Connectivity is now a necessity for today’s residences, possibly a must for those of the future. The affordable units being put up need to be connectivity-ready to not only be relevant for those that will that will live in them, but to match a high quality of life. This is an important consideration as fibre to the home spreads beyond upscale residential areas, aligned to digital inclusion of the mass market. In addition, digitisation of the land registration and management process will make it cheaper to acquire and put up houses.
As we work towards growing manufacturing, whose contribution to the GDP has stagnated over the last four decades, the operating environment needs to be conducive enough to attract local and international players. This can be effectively done through cutting edge technologies such as Internet of Things, which can be applied in quality control processes; video conferencing and telepresence.
INFORMATION
With the devolved government, there is need for connectivity and access to these technologies across the country. This is the only way to drive job creation, a key success indicator of the Big Four agenda. Technology also has the potential to grow the agricultural sector. By providing relevant, value-adding, timely information to farmers to enhance productivity especially for small holder farmers.
With the proliferation of mobile technology, it is possible to tackle information asymmetry that has left smallholder farmers vulnerable to the machinations of unscrupulous brokers. Mobile technology can arm these farmers with information ranging from agricultural extension services to the prices of produce in the market.
When it comes to universal healthcare, the overarching goal is to make medical care accessible to all Kenyans.
HEALTHCARE
Technology becomes an important vehicle for achieving this objective. In a nutshell, the country’s ICT sector has to not only double its investment in infrastructure, but also develop relevant and innovative solutions that support sectoral growth. This is the only way to ensure growth that is inclusive and in tandem with efforts geared towards poverty reduction.
It is possible to deliver promotive and preventive healthcare to ensure that Kenyans lead healthy lives and avoid, where possible, the need to visit health facilities. Similarly, with advanced medical equipment, a few specialists stationed at a convenient location linked to a wider area, are able to serve more people. This is the future of healthcare.
The writer is the Telkom CEO
