Kenya’s digital masterplan positions country for a bright economic future

In this age where global digital transformations are driving world economies, it is an indelible fact that a country without a digital masterplan cannot exploit emerging technology-assisted economic opportunities easily.

Suffice it to state that Kenya has taken a leap of faith with her own master plan, launched by the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) under the guidance of the ICT Authority.

Hinged on the need for a technology-powered economy, the initiative clearly specifies 19 flagship projects that could potentially shape the national dialogue on economic development.

The blueprint has a well-thought-out plan on accelerating automation of government service, enhancing digital literacy programmes for all citizens, expanding infrastructure to reduce the digital divide, and building robust cybersecurity for the region.

The blueprint also seeks to harmonise and enact policies and legislation to ease ICT businesses in Kenya. Besides, it supports the establishment of software and electronic manufacturing plants to spur job opportunities, increase e-commerce business by finalising the National Physical Addressing System project, and effectively help manage the emerging e-waste problem.

Fibre optic

To begin with, the country will benefit from the installation of 100,000km of high speed fibre optic infrastructure to provide internet to all schools, government institutions/offices, metro-cities, health facilities, rural businesses, homes and public spaces.

It would be prudent to say that such an initiative will open the whole society to digital inclusion through internet for all. The establishment of 25,000 internet-hotspots across the country to provide internet services to innovators, youth and entrepreneurs would be a game-changer in helping youth access online opportunities that seek to address joblessness.

 The initiative to establish Cloud Services for government and private sector is expected to greatly enhance efficiency in service delivery.

The idea to spur digital literacy has taken root globally. Nations can only advance if their populace is digitally empowered. It’s under this shade that the blueprint has espoused the creation of 1,450 village digital hubs for citizen digital literacy training, film production and public access to government services.

On top of that, the blueprint has also mooted the National Physical Addressing System to accelerate e-commerce initiatives.

With globalisation gaining ground each day, spatial data has become important especially in the building and construction industry. Businesses and governments have developed great use for it. With this in mind, the digital masterplan has mooted the National Spatial Data Infrastructure to provide trusted geospatial data for businesses and government.

Another significant aspect is the formation of a regional Submarine Cable Maintenance Depot, which will ensure effective maintenance support for submarine cables serving the Africa Region. On top of that, a Regional Smart ICT Hub has been mooted by the authority to provide faster IP exchange and data storage.

Climate change

The spectre of climate change and global warming has hit nations hard. As a result, it has become imperative for countries to be careful about their waste management initiatives. It’s for this reason that the blueprint has created an eWaste Programme to manage electronic products waste in the country.

Automation, as we embrace the digital revolution, is a concept all progressive economies have to embrace. The masterplan has mooted a digital one-stop-shop for all government common services through automation of all core processes and digitisation of manual records, interoperability and unified communication platforms. Beyond that, a national Public Key Infrastructure for digital signatures has also been proposed.

Training is an essential part for the development of a professional workforce. Shrouded by this fact, the masterplan has created space for Digital Literacy Capacity Building for 20 million Kenyans, 10,000 ICT professionals on high-end skills, 300,000 public servants and 350,000 teachers to be given necessary IT proficiency to be able to deliver services effectively to citizens, who can then utilise technology in their businesses and to access government e-services. With this in mind, it has also developed a Smart ID card to provide a person with a unique identifier.

Suffice it to say that the Digital Masterplan will be a game-changer for the country as it joins the world in seeking a place in the global digital economy, which is a fad for the future.

Dr Ronoh is the Acting CEO, ICT Authority. [email protected]