[kictanet] India Losing it's Attraction as Offshore R & D option?

[Joseph Manthi]

I feel compelled to add my 2 cents on this. I work for a company in  
the US that has a pretty investment in India and are now moving to  
China and Poland. I once asked why they were not considering Africa  
especially Kenya and on top of the usual reasons - political  
instability, levels of education, poverty etc this is the biggest  
problem they cited for Kenya:

No adequate power - IT and BPO business can not stand gray outs.

My two cents

Joe

Joseph Manthi
CEO, MEO Ltd
603 320 2924

On Feb 21, 2008, at 8:03 AM, "Peres Were" <pwere at cascadegl.com> wrote:

> Brian
>
> You have raised a pertinent question. This is my take:
>
> There has been heavy investment in the creation of Export Processing  
> Zones
> (EPZ) in Kenya, but the Government and the private sector should now
> consider developing Technology Parks, which will serve as centres for
> innovation and growth of the technology industry in Kenya.
>
> Future Technology Parks in Kenya must establish collaboration with  
> other
> technological centres around the world, the same way that Taiwan did  
> with
> Silicon Valley, resulting in the huge growth of technology industry in
> Taiwan. Currently, Taiwanese patents now rank among the highest in  
> the US
> market.
>
> The challenges facing Kenya's development as a technological hub  
> today are
> no different from those that countries like India and Thailand faced  
> 20
> years ago. These countries recognised the role of innovation as a  
> key driver
> of competitiveness in business, investment and new venture creation  
> in their
> economies.
>
> There has to be a resolve by the Kenya Government to create systems  
> that
> will nurture and encourage technological innovation and investment  
> and push
> the country towards a knowledge-based economy. The Ministry of  
> Science and
> Technology must place more emphasis on the management and shaping of
> innovation and R&D in Kenya.
>
> The impressive achievements of the high-tech sector in Asian  
> countries are
> primarily as a result of national policies that have encouraged inward
> investment in technology and innovation.
>
> Kenya needs to develop a National System of Innovation. This can be  
> achieved
> through increased linkages between the Government, business sector,  
> the
> research community and academic institutions in pursuit of  
> innovative ways
> of increasing Kenya's competitive advantage to make the country a  
> dynamic
> and exciting world-class hub for technology investment and R& D.
>
>
> Peres Were
> Managing Director