Listers FYI International IBM Team Arrives in Kenya to Support Achievement of Vision 2030 IBM Corporate Service Corps to facilitate efficient delivery of financial services in Nyeri Nairobi 21th, February 2011: An international team of consultants from the IBM's Corporate Service Corps programme has arrived in Nairobi for a one-month project in Nyeri. They will work alongside the Kenya ICT Board, the Kenya e-Government initiative, the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Postal Corporation of Kenya on a number of initiatives to help meet key ICT objectives in the Vision 2030 plan. "IBM is committed to fostering the utilization of information technology by government agencies and educational institutions to spur rapid economic development," said Anthony Mwai, Country General Manager for IBM East Africa. "In return, IBM staff and communities can reap the mutual benefits of global while developing its next generation of leaders." Arriving in Kenya this week, the team of 12 IBM employees from 9 different countries will work on the ground in Nyeri for one month. They will work with a number of local organisations including: The Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) The IBM team will help PCK to review the changing economic landscape in Kenya and develop a plan to deliver financial services to the poor across Kenya. Department of E-Government The IBM team will work to increase the efficiency of public processes and encourage citizen participation in governmnt. Kenya ICT Board The IBM team will work the Kenya ICT board to help address the IT skills gap in the country and support the development of the business process outsourcing sector in the country. The current engagement in Kenya comes on the heels of a number of previous Corporate Service Corps visits to Africa - a focus continent for the program. Since July 2008, IBM's Corporate Service Corps has deployed 327 IBMers on 29 teams to South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt. Through these projects IBM has worked with local organisations and businesses across Africa to support community-driven economic development. The Corporate Service Corps (CSC) is a global IBM initiative designed to provide small businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organizations in growth markets with sophisticated business consulting and skills development to help improve local conditions and foster job creation. IBM deploys teams of top employees from around the world representing IT, research, marketing, finance and business development to growth markets for a period of one month. The employees work pro bono with local organizations and businesses on projects that intersect business, technology and society. As a global programme, over the past three years the IBM Corporate Service Corps has deployed close to 1000 IBM employees on 100 teams to 20 countries around the world. Projects vary from assisting networks of entrepreneurs and small businesses trying to grow and reach export markets to the adoption of new and smart technological ideas by private and public sectors. Paul Kukubo CEO Kenya ICT Board ICT-logo-02