*Julisha: National M&E ICT Survey* With the arrival of broadband connectivity through three (3) submarine cable systems, the Kenyan IT market and indeed many business sectors are to grow rapidly; allowing for the introduction of new and advanced services, further setting the stage for the development of ICT as a valid contributor to Kenya’s GDP. Developing ICT skills remains a constant issue to be addressed by end users, vendors, and even governments. Public‐private partnerships between vendors and governments to set up facilities for technology and knowledge transfer continue to gain momentum, especially in view of the Government long-term plans to make ICT a key part of the Kenyan Economy. Rationale for the Proposed Survey Given the dynamic changes happening in the Kenyan IT market and its vision to become the hub for IT in the region; Kenya ICT Board plans to conduct a detailed analysis within the with the aim of understanding the following issues: 1. Understanding the Kenyan ICT Ecosystem, its players, factors for growth and trends in the market; 2. Sizing the ICT Market and its sub segments (hardware, software, services, etc.) in Kenya; 3. Compiling a baseline of key ICT indicators (access, usage, penetration, etc.); 4. Benchmarking key competitive ICT indicators against six countries in emerging markets; and 5. Understanding the ICT Skills availability, demand and gaps among vendors, end users and residents. Beneficiaries of the Proposed Survey The key beneficiaries of this survey's results include the following groups of stakeholders: 1. ICT vendors and their channel partners; 2. Education institutions (Kenya Education Network); 3. Businesses as ICT end users; 4. Residential consumers at large; and 5. Other ICT Stakeholders (MoIC, CCK, e-government directorate, Kenya BPO Society, etc.) Survey Benefits The survey deliverables will engender a range of benefits supporting its objectives. The major benefits are summarized as below: *Level* *Benefit* Benefits to the IT Industry - Understanding the current usage and penetration of the IT within Kenya - Identifying lucrative IT industry opportunities for Kenya and developing a strategy to increase adoption of progressive IT technologies within the country - Contributing to development of information society in specific and Kenya as a hub for ICT in general. Benefits for Kenya ICT Board - Understanding the current state with regards to ICT barometers and growth trends - Understanding major challenges and opportunities for these areas - Understanding Kenya's position with regards to its peer countries - Gaining ownership of key IT topic areas and spearheading the implementation of initiatives in these areas in conjunction with Government empowered and private sector associations - Understanding the current availability of ICT skills and the gaps - Reinforcement of Kenya ICT Board's thought leadership role Benefits for other IT stakeholders - Understanding the state of IT within Kenya - Understanding the key challenges of ICT in Kenya and analyze how to develop Kenya as the ICT Hub in the region - Creation of programmes (based on the results of the study done by IDC) to augment the local Kenyan ICT industry and the ICT skills available. The findings of the research will be used by Kenya ICT Board to analyze the current situation on the Kenyan ICT market and build actionable plans for IT development in the country. They will also benefit the industry and citizens at large. More details will be availed on www.ict.go.ke shortly Paul Kukubo Chief Executive Officer, Kenya ICT Board PO Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya 12th Floor, Teleposta Towers Koinange Street Tel +254 20 2089061, +254 20 2211960 Fax: +254 20 2211962 website: www.ict.go.ke local content project: www.tandaa.co.ke, www.facebook.com/tandaakenya twitter:@tandaaKENYA BPO Project: www. doitinkenya.co.ke Digital Villages Project: www.pasha.co.ke personal contacts _______________ Cell: + 254 717 180001 skype: kukubopaul googletalk: pkukubo personal blog: www.paulkukubo.co.ke personal twitter: @pkukubo ____________________ Vision: Kenya becomes a top ten global ICT hub Mission: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment