- KICTANet - KICTANet

Invitation to the Engineering Students' Exhibition
by kevit 08 Nov '06

08 Nov '06

Dear Members, Please find below the details on an important invitation for the regional Engineering Students Exhibition 13.11.2006, Sarit Centre (Nairobi) Engineering Students Exhibition 2006 Showing Kenya's innovative powers Nairobi, 6th November 2006 - The 9th edition of the annual ICT and Engineering Students Exhibition 2006 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) will be held on 13th November 2006 in Nairobi. This exhibition brings together academia, industries and government to realize the vital opportunity of creating linkages and collaboration. There are 120 entries from nine countries in the region. The event is supported by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya ICT Federation. The objective of the Engineering Students Exhibition is to encourage students to develop their engineering skills and to give them deeper insight in technology coupled with market demand. The preparation and presentation of projects challenges them to use their theoretical knowledge and demonstrate their engineering ability. Students also network with local and international participants, and interact with senior representatives of the private sector. An Innovation System for Kenya The Engineering Students Exhibition proofs there is a need and opportunity for Kenya to organise an Innovation System in which academia, private sector and public sector collaborate. The Government can play a facilitating role through an independent Science Technology and Innovation (SCTI) council, tasked to create an Innovation System that takes full advantage of Kenya's comparative advantages. Local industry cannot fund research and development on its own. However, Kenya's vibrant private sector will be able to take full advantage of such an Innovation System. The Innovation System will also help universities and higher education to emerge from isolation and integrate their curriculum with industry requirements. Due to the introverted nature of many institutions, research has limited relevance towards the socio-economic needs of the country and our creative talents remain under-utilised. The IEEE through its East African Section encourages all to explore the impressive creative engineering power we have in our students population. Sarit Centre Expo hall doors open at 10.00am, followed by hourly speeches and with a prize giving ceremony at 6.30pm. Free admission. Information: Kevit Desai Chairperson IEEE East Africa Governor - KEPSA Director of Engineering - Centurion Systems Ltd. Nairobi, Kenya Office tel: +254 20 4440102/3 Cell: +254 0722 517067 Email: <mailto:kevit@centurionsystemsltd.com> kevit(a)centurionsystemsltd.com

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Fw: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006.
by alice＠apc.org 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

FYI those interested in attending the KENGEN talk...... ----- Original Message ----- From: <events(a)c4idea.com> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:37 AM Subject: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006. > Dear Alice Munyua, > > NB: If you have confirmed your participation please forward it to your > friends. > > This month we are privileged to have Mr. Eddy Njoroge, Managing Director > of KENGEN, Kenya's largest power generating company, to speak about going > public and the challenges encountered in the Kenyan market. > > > Date: Tuesday 31st October 2006 > > Topic: The KenGen IPO and How It Transformed Kenya! > > Speaker: Mr. Eddy Njoroge, MD, KenGen > > Time: 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm > > Venue: Grand Regency Hotel, Nairobi > > Cost: KShs. 1,000/- per person > > > c4IDEA.com is a resource network that helps individuals and organizations > exchange innovative and proactive ideas to develop world-class Kenyan > leaders in different professions and disciplines. > > Please email or call the undersigned on 444 9277 or 444 7655 to make a > reservation for this forum. Visit our website www.c4idea.com for more > information. > > Joan Wachira > Program Officer > _________________________________ > c4IDEA.com - Idea Factory Ltd, > The Office Park, Riverside Drive. > PO Box 12, Sarit Centre 00606, > Nairobi, Kenya. > Tel: 254-020-4449277. > Tel: 254-020-4447655. > Fax: 254-020-4449210. > www.c4IDEA.com > > > >

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Fw: Kictanet Planning Meeting - 9th November Jacaranda Hotel
by Judy kimiti 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

Dear Member, The next planning meeting is on 9th November 3:00pm at The Jacaranda Hotel. There will be a Fibre Presentation from Mr. Kai Wulff Managing Director KDN. Please RSVP your attendance to the undersigned for logistics purposes. Thank you. Yours Faithfully, Judy Kimiti KICTANet ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Judy kimiti <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Sent: Friday, 27 October, 2006 11:20:11 AM Subject: Kictanet Planning Meeting - 9th November Jacaranda Hotel Dear Member, Please Find attached the agenda for the next KICTANet Planning Meeting which will be held on 9th November 2006, 3:00pm, Jacaranda Hotel As alot of members who had expressed interest in the Fibre Presentation by KDN where not able to attend, Mr Kai Wulff , has accepted to join us and give us the presenation at the above mentioned meeting. Please note because of time constraint, we shall have the presentation at exactly 3:30pm and will run for 30min. Those who are interested in joining this presentation are urged to be at the meeting on time. For logistics purposes, please RSVP your attendance to the undersigned. Yours Faithfully Judy Kimiti KICTANet Tel: 4453671 / 2 Cell: 0722 - 716020 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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OPEN ACCESS SAT3
by Eric Osiakwan 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

OPEN ACCESS SAT3 By Eric M.K Osiakwan Visiting Fellow and Scholar DV Program, Stanford University http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Since publishing the Open Access EASSy paper @ http:// blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ (you must read it to understand this paper), I have being challenged on the viability of Open Access to SAT3 and questioned on the need to institute the same standrards for both cables though we all know that SAT3 is already established and EASSy is yet to be. In this thesis I make an attempt at upholding the same Open Access structure and principles of EASSy to SAT3 – this is possible because both cables lie in the same realm but the context of their execusion are different. This is ONLY possible because of the window of opportunity presented by the end of exclusivity by the historic operators on SAT3 in April 2007 so I also suggest a process approach. For the records, SAT3 was established with an exclusivity period to recoup investment by the historic operators and this is due in April 2007 at which the SAT3 country governments can either entrench the exclusivity of the historic operators or consider other mechanisms such as what an proposing. SAT3 stands both as a pillar of hope and despair for the African continent; hope because it was the first cable and there is an opportunity for it to significantly change bandwidth prices based on it’s non-performance, despair because we may decide to keep things the way they are currently and continue with the incumbency and high bandwidth prices. The reasons for the non-renewal of the exclusivity range from, the historic operators haven recouped their investment in the cable at high cost since the inception of the cable and yet made fiber bandwdith more expensive than satellite capacity. Secondly we know that the loan granted by the WorldBank to the historic operators for their contribution to the SAT3 cable was guaranteed by their respective governments hence the onus lies with the government after supporting the private interest of the historic operators to now consider the public interest of providing cheap and affordable bandwidth for socio-economic development. If the SAT3 goverrnments and regulators collectively or individually decide to end the exclusivity in April 2007 then the question to me is, what steps should they take towards Open Accessing SAT3? I don’t hold monopoly on the steps and process because national and or regional relationships coupled with on the ground details must be taken into consideration but I would proceed to outline what I see as the larger framework of what is possible in terms of structure, principles and processes – same as for the EASSy cable. Hopefully other cables or subsequent ones would adopt or follow the same strucure, principles and process to have the desired impact. For the records again, I applaud the work done by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA @ www.osiwa.org) and other institutions for not only holding two (2) workshops to discuss the SAT3 issues but bringing a community of engagement, culture of awareness of the issues at stake and channelling internal capacity within the various constituencies ie governments, regulators, private sector, educational institutions and Civil Society to understand whatever decisions they make regarding the cable. My effort in this paper is to compliment such efforts with an adoption that considers some elements and layout a general framework based on the several discussions and engagements. Declaring SAT3 an “essential facility” would mean that it holds much in the public interest so must be treated with the public good as primary and other consideration as secondary. Private consideration would be first on the secondary ladder because that is important for the running of the public entity. Am not for once suggesting a move from an extreme private position to an extreme public consideration, but rather my suggestion is to use minimal public holding as a temporal measure to move from an exteme private interest to a balance between the private and public consideration. Open Access is about balance and consideration of the various interests. The governments holding the essential facility in trust after declaring it so is only a temporary measure which must be seeded quickly to a multi-stakeholder institution which would work in the interest of the various constituency and ensure that there is a clear reflection of equity. Regulatory and public policy must recognise the establishment of the essenttial facility which in this case would be “infrastructure provider” – providing infrastructure for the other service providers wthin the value chain. In some cases the regulatory and public policy environment must create the structural change from a vertical to a horizontal layering communication system and that enables the change process. Whatever the case may be, the first fundamental step is the re-alignment of the communication paradigm where there is a distinction between infrastructure and services. This means a move from the vertical to the horizontal communication system. The essential facility in this case, the SAT3 country segment would constitute the infrastructure provider which DOES NOT provide services on the value chain. Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal has hinted that they are going to adopt this approach post April 2007. In the case of Ghana, the government has also contracted the Chinese to finalise the nationwide fiber network which was owned by the Volta River Authority called Voltacom. Voltacom would be merged with the SAT3 country segment to form an “infrastructure provider” which would provider international and national bandwidth infrastructure. Owership of the infrastructure provider is the next consideration, enjoining a multi-stakeholder ownership model ensures that there is balance of power, money and interest. It is in the interest of the government to ensure that this happens so that they are not labeled as “corrupting” the entity. The mechanism is for the government through an initial private and or public offering to invite the private sector, educational institutions, civil society, investors, PTTs and the consumer to own a part of this entity through a transparent and neutral process. Enlisting the infrastructure provider on the stock exchange would ensure that it is subject to the dictates of that environment ensuring access and commonality on ownership. SAT3 at this point would have adhered to Open Access in terms of the structural change below; Within the structural framework, the cable would have differentiated “Infrastructure” from “Services” where Infrastructure is seen more in the “Ownership” realm whiles Service is seen in “Access to capacity”. The most distinguishing feature of the Open Access approach is that, ownership of the infrastructure DOES NOT GUARANTEE any access (discriminatory or not) to capacity on the value chain for the provision of service to the market. The respective country capacity would be on the money here. A set of principles would hold for the ownership of the cable and those principles would be different from those for access to capacity. Infrastructure ownership principles for the SAT3 cable would include; The ownership of the cable must be in a public private partnership involving Government, PTTs, ISPs, Educational Institutions, Civil Society and Consumers. A fair distribution of these constituencies from the member countries in an equal sub-regional distribution leading up to the Board of Directors of the enterprise in case a regional approach is adopted like EASSy. The same set of rules must be established to identifying the various shareholders from the various countries in the different constituencies, again this applies to regional. For the purposes of this exercise a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) or a legal entity with an African wide structure and majority Africa ownership should be considered The essential facility must have a public interest combined with a private sector approach in it’s business model in order to ensure cheap and affordable bandwidth to the end-user. Value Chain access to capacity for service delivery principles are; The essential facility must sell capacity to all entities who meet the legal and regulatory requirements in each country directly and non-discriminatorily. Service Providers shall be offered Transport Infrastructure Layer access to different capacities depending on their requirements. End Users shall be free to choose any local Service Provider connected to the National and or Regional Network. The essential facility shall not compete with Service Providers (its customers) by offering services at the Service Layers directly to End Users. All countries must create a regulatory structure that recognizes the essential facility. The essential facility shall be formed, owned and operated in such a way as to facilitate competition and to foster innovation at the Services Layer, and where practical and commercially viable at all levels, with a view to maximizing usage of the network and benefits to the End Users. Once these are in place the market structure would align such that the infrastructure cost which is almost always duplicated several times by service providers is consolidated. That reduces the barrier to uptake on the service side and makes the service providers focus on services and competition in the market place for innovation and customer service delivery at cheaper or affordable cost. Ultimately the customer benefits and the uptake of ICTs as a sector and cross sectorial enabler would be enhanced. This sets out the framework for Open Access as it relates to the SAT3 cable but I must admit that this is not the ONLY approach in terms of process but structurally and principles wise, the above is not far from wrong. The devil as they say is always in the details, though. NB: These principles and structure are drawn from the Open Access study conducted by Anders Comstedt, Eric Osiakwan and Russell Southwood for InfoDEV @ the WorldBank – http://www.infodev.org/en/ Project.80.html Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now"

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Phoney finance - Mobile telephony and banking
by alice＠apc.org 05 Nov '06

05 Nov '06

Our Safaricom we understand is about to roll out money transfer system using mobile phones. Will phone now turn into banking instruments setting pace for mobile commerce? For people in rural where Bank branches have high operational costs due to lack of infrastructure (Electricity is in short supply, as are safe, passable roads), are clearly not the solution. Yet this is where most potential micro finance patrons still live. If we are looking at ways to fill a need and to by pass infrastructure problems for bank branches, then the opportunities are abundant for mobile phone holders who are able to transact banking through their mobiles. Not to say that infrastructure is not important but that micro finance clients no longer have to wait. However, there are many challenges (policy and regulatory related) in forging these types of partnerships (mobiles and banking) and proving that mobile banking can work even in the most remote areas and protect vulnerable users...... alice ----- Original Message ----- From: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 1:47 PM Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Fw: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006. Dear All, Do you see opportunities in the Economist article below: Ndemo. Phoney finance - Mobile telephony and banking 875 words 28 October 2006 The Economist ECN 381 English (c) The Economist Newspaper Limited, London 2006. All rights reserved Banking the unbanked, by mobile phone Most South Africans do not have bank accounts. But most do have mobile phones LIFE is now easier for Andile Mbatha, who owns a hair salon in Soweto. Gone are his days of trekking to his bank, which could take two hours by minibus, to send money to relatives. Nor does he keep piles of cash in his salon any more. Last year, he opened a bank account with Wizzit, an innovative provider of financial services. He now sends money to his sister in Cape Town whenever he wants, from wherever he wants, using a simple menu on his mobile phone. Half his customers no longer pay cash for their haircuts. They use their phones to move money from their accounts to his, in a few seconds. "This has taken out a lot of stress," says Mr Mbatha. About half a million South Africans now use their mobile phones as a bank. Besides sending money to relatives and paying for goods, they can check balances, buy mobile airtime and settle utility bills. Traditional banks offer mobile banking as an added service to existing customers, most of whom are quite well off. But Wizzit, and to some extent First National Bank (FNB) and MTN Banking (a joint venture between Standard Bank and a mobile-phone network), are chasing another market: the 16m South Africans, over half of the adult population, with no bank account. Significantly, 30% of these people do have mobile phones. Wizzit hired and trained over 2,000 unemployed people, known as Wizzkids, to drum up business. It worked: eight out of ten Wizzit customers previously had no bank account and had never used an ATM. Mobile banking is just one example of a wider phenomenon in South Africa. With its odd mix of advanced capitalism and developing-world economics, the country is successfully luring people who hitherto dealt only in cash or barter to the world of formal finance. A simplified kind of account called Mzansi was launched in 2004 to reach the unbanked, and portable banks and ATMs have been rolled out in townships and in the countryside. To this fast-changing scene, mobile-phone banking looks to be a promising addition. Millions of South Africans send money to their relatives in other parts of the country. And most of these sums, which add up to about 12 billion rand ($1.5 billion) each year, still move informally. South Africa is not the first place to use mobile-phone banking: countries such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines have had it for a while. But the potential is probably bigger in the developing world, and in countries in which migrants remit money to their families in relatively poor homelands. In Greece, a European Union member that is now awash with migrant labour, Albanians or Bulgarians often send money home by putting crumpled banknotes in the hands of a trusted compatriot, who takes a cut. If they could do it all by pressing buttons, they would. In most of Africa, meanwhile, only a fraction of people have bank accounts-but there is huge demand for cheap and convenient ways to send money and buy prepaid services such as airtime. Many Africans, having skipped landlines and jumped to mobiles, already use prepaid airtime as a way of transferring money. They could now leap from a world of cash to cellular banking. In Kenya, a pilot scheme called M-Pesa is being used to disburse and pay micro-loans by phone. Meanwhile Celpay, which FNB bought last year from Celtel, a mobile-phone company, is offering platforms for banks and phone companies in Zambia and Congo. In countries like Somalia, with chaotic conditions at home and a huge diaspora, cash transfers by phone would be a boon. For banks, persuading people not to use branches for simple transactions such as balance enquiries or transfers should reduce operating costs. So far, they charge the same for mobile as for traditional banking, though Wizzit says its services are at least a third cheaper than those of a traditional bank. But drawing the unbanked into the joys of cell-finance isn't always easy. Many think banking too expensive and complicated, and helping new customers become financially literate takes time. The technology remains clunky in some cases, with downloads requiring dozens of text messages. Several rival platforms are still in the fight, but so far those that emphasise simplicity and ease-of-use over state-of-the-art technology and security have made the greatest strides. A lot also hangs on putting in place the right laws and regulations. They need to be tight enough to protect vulnerable users and discourage money laundering, but open enough to allow innovative mobile banking to grow. If the transfer of money by mobile phone-between countries as well as within them-takes off, it could have implications far beyond the salons of Soweto. In 2005, according to the United Nations, global migrants remitted $232 billion, of which up to 20% was lost on the way, mostly in bank charges or fraud. If cellular transfers could slash that figure, mobile banking would prove to be a good call. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at A. Wanjira Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws

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Re: [Kictanet] v2030 and ICT
by Eric Osiakwan 03 Nov '06

03 Nov '06

Edith, permit me to emphasis your point "keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process - this is what i meant by write ICT in the 2030 document as much as possible and send it to them as KICTANET. This must be done so much and through many ways that they accept what input you guys have. When we did this in Ghana, i made the ICT community aware that if we dont get ICT into that vision, then we have failed as a constituency and we cant blame the government for not listening to us so that it is more our responsibility to ensure it is there than the government to accept it in there. I hope am not TOO OPTIMISTIC.......:-) ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 09:02:24 +0300 >Thanks for sharing this Bill. > >There's need to ensure this gets attention at the Strategy development >stage as well (as a cross-cutting theme and as a sector in itself...so lets >"keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process. > >cheers! > > >At / À 01:08 PM 11/2/2006, Bill Kagai wrote / a écrit: >>SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND >>COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE >>OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VISION 2030, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE >>CENTRE, NAIROBI, 30TH OCTOBER, 2006 >> >>http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/oct06/2006301001.htm >> >>The ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, >>with highest potential for Kenya's prospects in tapping global >>markets. This follows the total liberalisation of this sector in >>Kenya. We will soon have a second national operator, which will bring >>greater dynamism to the telecommunications sector. More importantly, >>we are investing in fibre optic connectivity nationally and >>internationally to leverage our global competitiveness in this sector, >>which offers our educated youth extensive opportunities for >>employment. Therefore, the strategies that you are developing for the >>next five years should leverage this competitive advantage, especially >>with regard to business process outsourcing, which is the world's >>fastest growing global market. The economic performance of any country >>is closely tied to the application of science and technology. This is >>why Kenya is investing considerably in higher education, research >>institutions, and universities. >> >>However, there still remain serious limitations in application of >>technology between research, industry, and agriculture. This is a >>serious weakness in our development strategy, which requires urgent >>attention. We have recently created the Ministry of Science and >>Technology, which is developing a national policy for science, >>technology, and innovation. It is important that the Vision Strategy >>that is being developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenya's >>scientific and technological capacity, inculcating a scientific >>culture, and integrating science and technology into our production >>and service sectors. >> >>_______________________________________________ >>kictanet mailing list >>kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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Re: [Kictanet] v2030 and ICT
by Edith Adera 03 Nov '06

03 Nov '06

Thanks for sharing this Bill. There's need to ensure this gets attention at the Strategy development stage as well (as a cross-cutting theme and as a sector in itself...so lets "keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process. cheers! At / À 01:08 PM 11/2/2006, Bill Kagai wrote / a écrit: >SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND >COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE >OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VISION 2030, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE >CENTRE, NAIROBI, 30TH OCTOBER, 2006 > >http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/oct06/2006301001.htm > >The ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, >with highest potential for Kenya's prospects in tapping global >markets. This follows the total liberalisation of this sector in >Kenya. We will soon have a second national operator, which will bring >greater dynamism to the telecommunications sector. More importantly, >we are investing in fibre optic connectivity nationally and >internationally to leverage our global competitiveness in this sector, >which offers our educated youth extensive opportunities for >employment. Therefore, the strategies that you are developing for the >next five years should leverage this competitive advantage, especially >with regard to business process outsourcing, which is the world's >fastest growing global market. The economic performance of any country >is closely tied to the application of science and technology. This is >why Kenya is investing considerably in higher education, research >institutions, and universities. > >However, there still remain serious limitations in application of >technology between research, industry, and agriculture. This is a >serious weakness in our development strategy, which requires urgent >attention. We have recently created the Ministry of Science and >Technology, which is developing a national policy for science, >technology, and innovation. It is important that the Vision Strategy >that is being developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenya's >scientific and technological capacity, inculcating a scientific >culture, and integrating science and technology into our production >and service sectors. > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke

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v2030 and ICT
by Bill Kagai 02 Nov '06

02 Nov '06

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VISION 2030, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, NAIROBI, 30TH OCTOBER, 2006 http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/oct06/2006301001.htm The ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, with highest potential for Kenya's prospects in tapping global markets. This follows the total liberalisation of this sector in Kenya. We will soon have a second national operator, which will bring greater dynamism to the telecommunications sector. More importantly, we are investing in fibre optic connectivity nationally and internationally to leverage our global competitiveness in this sector, which offers our educated youth extensive opportunities for employment. Therefore, the strategies that you are developing for the next five years should leverage this competitive advantage, especially with regard to business process outsourcing, which is the world's fastest growing global market. The economic performance of any country is closely tied to the application of science and technology. This is why Kenya is investing considerably in higher education, research institutions, and universities. However, there still remain serious limitations in application of technology between research, industry, and agriculture. This is a serious weakness in our development strategy, which requires urgent attention. We have recently created the Ministry of Science and Technology, which is developing a national policy for science, technology, and innovation. It is important that the Vision Strategy that is being developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenya's scientific and technological capacity, inculcating a scientific culture, and integrating science and technology into our production and service sectors.

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Fwd: Re: Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth
by John Walubengo 02 Nov '06

02 Nov '06

Wash, I think your KICTANet list is having serious hiccups. Attached is what i sent on Tuesday morning. Today is Thrs and am yet to see it pop-out.. Maybe Alice can forward the comments - now that I see she seems to be the lucky one with her 'posts' going through. walu. --- John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:27:47 -0800 (PST) > From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki > launches vision for growth > To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> > > How tragic indeed. Huge oversight if ICT has no central > role in this Vision 2030....further more it seems to > focuse on Industrialisation (halloo! that used to be the > target for economies in the 1950s). > > Now people talk about a Knowledge economy. Indeed > Industrialisation per-se no longer provides a competitive > advantage. The advantage lies in leveraging Information > Technologies to create value beyond Industrialisation. > > Vision 2030 might be targeting the future - but using the > 'side' mirror i.e driving into the future but relying too > much in the previous, economical fundamentals. We need > to > refocus it into the right direction. I don't know how > and > if there is room and a role for KICTANet here. > > walu. > > > --- Nation Media <news(a)nationmedia.com> wrote: > > > --------------------------------- > > eadera(a)idrc.or.ke has sent you this article from > Nationmedia.com with this message: > Colleagues,It is TRAGIC! that vision 2030 has not given > prominence to the role of ICTs as an enabler - it's not > highlighted in the article, maybe in the document > itself?. > Who's working on the strategy to deliver this vision? and > what role can we play as KICTANET to change this? This is > a > challenge I throw to all of us! We must do something! The > countries mentioned in this article have been > fundamentally > transformed by ICTs. your views on practical steps we can > take to ensure ICTs are well integrated in the strategy? > EdithKibaki launches vision for growth Published: > 10/31/2006By: MUGO NJERU > --------------------------------- > > President Kibaki yesterday launched an ambitious economic > programme aimed at transforming Kenya into an economic > powerhouse with a sustainable growth rate of 10 per cent > by > 2030. > The President told leaders to keep politics out of the > project dubbed Kenya Vision 2030. > > President Kibaki greets Nation CEO Wilfred Kiboro and > other > members of the National Economic and Social Council > yesterday before officially launching Vision 2030 at KICC > in Nairobi. The vision is expected to transform Kenya > into > a prosperous nation. Photo/William Oeri. > > He said: "Vision 2030 goes beyond any single government, > party, political persuasion or religion. It is a call to > all Kenyans to make it possible for us to wipe out from > our > land absolute poverty, famine, mass unemployment and > preventable deaths from malaria and water-borne > diseases." > > Although President Kibaki said he was optimistic that the > development goal would be achieved, it will depend on how > the country manages its affairs in the next five years. > High quality of life > "Under Vision 2030, we see ourselves becoming a > middle-income, prosperous country, providing a high > quality > of life for all our people," the President said at the > launch of the initiative at the Kenyatta International > Conference Centre in Nairobi. > To realise the goal, he said Kenyans must build on the > competitive advantages in key sectors of the economy to > expand the country's share of the global market. > Besides the 10 per cent growth over 25 years, another > pillar of the programme will be building a just and > cohesive society with equitable social development and a > clean and secure environment. > The initiative also aims at building a democratic > political > system that nurtures issue-based politics, the rule of > law > and protects the rights and freedoms of every individual > and society. > Several leaders at the meeting described the vision as > noble and said it should be supported by all Kenyans. ODM > Kenya secretary-general Anyang Nyong'o said the vision > was > good but its success would depend on the goodwill of > successive governments. "The Government and the > opposition > are united on this vision," he said. > Finance minister Amos Kimunya said its success depended > on > people working together as one nation. > He and other speakers said it was possible to propel the > country to the levels of economies like Malaysia, > Singapore, Indonesia, Chile and South Korea, most of > which > which were in the same economic footing with Kenya in the > 1970s. > Trade and Industry minister Mukhisa Kituyi said the > vision > is achievable if it is not held hostage by any government > and if it receives support from the media and the private > sector. > President Kibaki said for the country to realise the > success of the vision, it was important to put in place a > clear strategy detailing what needed to be achieved for > each of the pillars of the programme for the next five > years. > He said that over the years, coffee production has been > declining from over 120,000 tons a year to less than > 50,000 > this year, which had a devastating effect on farmers' > incomes and employment opportunities. > "We need to make sure that under Vision 2030, the > strategies that will be developed will not repeat the > mistakes of the past and avoid imposing a costly burden > on > the people of this country," he said. > On manufacturing, the President said the sector had > barely > grown in the last 20 years. "The textile industry which > was > very vibrant in 1970s and 1980s has virtually been wiped > out while the EPZ-based enterprises are experiencing > serious competition in the global market," he said. > Leather and other livestock-related industries have also > not made significant breakthroughs in the global market > although these are sectors in which Kenya could have > competitive advantage and growth if the right strategies > and policies were applied. > "I challenge the experts who are developing the > strategies > to pay special attention to these sectors for the next > five > years, because they have the greatest potential for > delivering widely shared economic and social benefits for > the Kenyan people," President Kibaki said. > On tourism, he noted that although the number of tourists > visiting Kenya had increased over the last few years, > income from the sector was far below that of small > European > countries, the Caribbean and North Africa. > With proper planning and investment, the country should > be > able to attract and accommodate five million tourists by > 2012, the President said. > He said the economic performance of any country was > closely > tied to the application of science and technology and > that > was why the country was investing considerably in higher > education and research institutions. > The vision strategy, he said, should be geared towards > enhancing Kenya's scientific and technological capacity, > promoting a scientific culture and integrating science > and > technology into the production and service sectors. > There was also need to expand, upgrade and sustain health > facilities while ensuring that they remain accessible and > affordable to all Kenyans. > President Kibaki said rapid urban population growth had > resulted in serious unemployment, growing slums and an > increase of hawkers. It was also causing a severe strain > on > the provision of services such as maintenance of law and > order, water supply, sewerage and sanitation, education > and > health facilities. > The President said: "Effective planning of and ability to > enforce compliance for the proper administration of our > cities and major towns requires to be accorded high > priority in the strategies that will be developed to meet > the challenges of urbanisation." > He directed that measures to wipe out slums and replace > them with well-planned, low-cost houses in all major > towns > be implemented without delay. > > > > --------------------------------- > to view this article on the web click here > --------------------------------- > > Are you receiving daily news headlines from the Daily > Nation? Sign up today and receive headlines andweekly > articles from your favorite magazine delivered to your > email inbox. > To sign up: Registered users click here New members > click here. > > Interested in advertising in our emails? Contact > internetsales(a)nation.co.ke or read about our advertising > opportunities > herehttp://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/advertise.asp > > > > --------------------------------- > > You have received this email because someone thought you > might be interested in our article. Please be assured > that > we have not saved your email address for any purpose. To > read our Privacy Policyclick here > > > > > Nation Media Group all rights reserved 2004 > Website: www.nationmedia.com > For querries or info: comments(a)nation.co.ke > > > > --------------------------------- > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > We have the perfect Group for you. Check out the handy > changes to Yahoo! Groups > (http://groups.yahoo.com) > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth
by Nation Media 02 Nov '06

02 Nov '06

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