The value of PR and Confidence in national building.
On a positive note, lying to ourselves that we are a leading ICT
destination in Africa has the positive effect of creating momentum,
good International Public Relations, and much needed media coverage.
In the past ten years we've seen a flurry of business angels and
venture capitalists hawk the landscape in search of the next MPESA.
That has had a positive impact on the ICT space with several
innovations getting noticed and funded. Actually, many of the
innovations hubs have thrived because of riding the "ICT wave" that
Kenya is the final destination in Africa when it comes to ICTs. And
because the hubs thrive, they help to cement that notion by walking
the talk. The many Apps competitions like DEMO Africa, and PIVOT East
too have thrive because of the same notion, and stimulate our young
people to develop great applications. And the cycle continues.

Kenya has become a launchpad for Africa's commercial strategy for Tech
firms, as Kenya grows it's influence as the regional tech hub
powerhouse. Multinationals like the IBM (research lab), Google,
Microsoft, Samsung, and Bharti Airtel have all noticed and setup
regional hubs in Kenya because of confidence in us. While in Indonesia
for the IGF, I met a Fijian lady who was praising Kenya for being the
silicon valley of Africa. Indeed, a Kenyan Bernard of nikohapa.com won
the Afrinic/Seed Alliance FIRE award for the best application in the
region.

Remember, according to some CNN article by Todd Leopold,
(http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/02/us/american-exceptionalism-other-countries-lessons)
Americans lag behind in many academic and social measurements. They
are number 27th in Mathematics, 50th in life expectancy, 72nd in
paying taxes, and 173rd in infant mortality yet they are number 1 in
confidence, and they literally rule the world. Rwanda too is riding on
the wave of good international PR, my thesis is, after 30th years, it
will be Africa's Singapore. We need that confidence, PR and
international goodwill to rub on us. I don't mind if we lie to
ourselves.


We owe much of the gains of the last 10 years to the optimism that
swept the country after the 2002 elections, and the pragmatism of
President Kibaki who realised the value of PR for the country, and Dr.
Ndemo's action oriented approach in growing the ICT sector (remember
the impossible undersea cable and the dream Konza Technology city).
Vision 2030 too was part of that optimism. I hope and pray that the
Uhuru regime will not erode the gains made.

Finally, lets celebrate the young Kenyans who spend countless hours in
Nairobi University Nokia lab and innovation Lab, Strathmore's iLab,
iHub, Nailab, mLab, e.t.c. This guys have made Kenya a technology
tourism destination, and contributed to the confidence we enjoy now.

Warm Regards.

--
______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva
twitter.com/lordmwesh
kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know

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