[kictanet] Private Sector Roles (activities, motives & challenges) Day 6 of 10

Mon May 26 13:36:59 EAT 2008

Walu,
  The private sector has been active in the ict4d sector. when you look at cfsk website for example, you will see the support that the private sector gives CFSK. The question is: what is the motive for support from the private sector? what do they stand to gain by supporting ict4d especially int he education sector? One can see straight away that although Microsoft for example gives licenses, they have a long term strategic objective. Mobile phones will play a central role in ICT development in this country so when Safaricom dontes for ICT development in the country, is there a link with its growth strategy?
  I think Multi Stakeholder Partnership (MSP) between all players will be critical but the private sector should also ensure that their objectives in that kind of partnership is understood. At the moment few people understand or ask why they are involved.
  Leonard

John Walubengo <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:
  Thanx Tim for your resourceful link below. I see it will
also come in handy particularly towards the end of the week
when we discuss various PPP models.

Meanwhile, Today is Day 6 of 10 and I want to have one last
shot on Private Sector roles in ICT4D. It looks like the
Private Sector dont want to blow their own trumpet, could
someone share on their behalf?

I for one know Cisco is doing alot particularly on the
Education side where they have sponsored the so called
CISCO Academies. They donate Study Kits and Equipment to
train Networking Professionals at a subsidized rate. 
Ofcourse they do so through partnership with Educational
institutions but I thought it is worth noting this kind of
initiatives.

Any other?

walu.
NB: meanwhile, feel free to comment on previous themes.
Like Brian's late intervention on Civil Society roles, all
are welcome.

--- Tim Unwin wrote:

> Hi
> 
> For examples of some ICT4D multi-stakeholder partnerships
> in education, you
> might like to look at the "Partnerships for Education"
> database -
> http://www.pfore.org . This is wider than just ICT4D
> related, but there are
> many good examples of what the private sector is doing -
> and some case
> studies from Kenya.
> 
> Tim
> 
> On 23/5/08 07:18, "John Walubengo" 
> wrote:
> 
> > Thanks Fred, Samuel et al,
> > 
> > This was actually getting to the level I had
> anticipated.
> > But we have to move onto the Private Sector Roles with
> > regard to ICT4D.
> > 
> > What are some of the activities the Private sector is
> doing
> > in this area? Anyone from Celtel, Safaricom, Nation
> Media,
> > Standard Group, Royal Media, KDN, Symphony, Strathmore,
> > TESPOK, Jamii, etc, (list definately not exhaustive)
> > 
> > Plse share the activities, objectives and challenges
> along
> > the lines of CFSK.
> > 
> > We have today and tomorrow on this one.
> > 
> > walu.
> > 
> > 
> > --- Fred Okono wrote:
> > 
> >> Thank you so much for your kind words Leonard. I am
> not
> >> quite sure there is a "secret", but the following have
> >> certainly helped greatly:
> >> 
> >> 1.. A clear-headed analysis of the problem we wished
> to
> >> address, which turned out to be a multi-faceted
> challenge
> >> underpinned by a lack of resources;
> >> 2.. Crafting an integrated solution, that addresses
> the
> >> multifaceted challenge on a "one-stop shop" model;
> >> 3.. Truly and constantly listening to and engaging
> with
> >> the partners we seek to uplift, and inputing their
> >> feedback into our programmes;
> >> 4.. An uncompromising organisation-wide commitment
> to
> >> clearly defined and reasonable standards in all we do;
> >> 5.. A rare organisational esprit de corps driven by
> a
> >> caring and unassuming chief executive and powered by
> an
> >> incredibly enthusiastic, fired-up and innovative young
> >> staff;
> >> 6.. Finally, building strategic partnerships with
> >> partners that share our vision and feel for our
> mission -
> >> whoever they may be, wherever they are: Government,
> >> private sector, civil society, etc.
> >> Leonard, the Government - particularly in the last
> five
> >> or so years - has done a tremendous amount of work to
> >> promote ICT: removing a great proportion of taxes
> >> previously chargeable on computers; establishing a
> >> Directorate of eGovernment within the pivotal Cabinet
> >> Office in the Office of the President; allocating a
> >> quantum of funds for ICT integration in the budgetary
> >> provisions for all Ministries; establishing the ICT
> >> Board; etc. And at CFSK we have enjoyed enormous
> goodwill
> >> and moral support from the GoK, including space to
> host a
> >> number of our Regional Centres. However, we do wish we
> >> could also get a budgetary allocation - it would
> enable
> >> us to tremendously upscale and outscale our
> operations,
> >> and we have proven worthy of this I dare say! And we
> also
> >> wish there were many more Dr Bitange Ndemos in the
> upper
> >> echelons of the Civil Service and more ICT-saavy
> Cabinet
> >> Ministers and Members of Parliament!
> >> 
> >> My feeling is that the Government's challenge has been
> >> failing to work with existing programmes that have
> proven
> >> their worth, as opposed to establishing its own
> >> programmes that replicate those other programmes -
> often
> >> without the benefit of the expertise and responsive
> >> structures that characterise these non-governmental
> >> programmes (an absolute essential in this dynamic
> field).
> >> 
> >> I also feel that the Government is often hampered by a
> >> lack of personal buy-in from the officers that are
> >> directly responsible for implementation - irrespective
> of
> >> what the "high-up policy" may be. A computer literate
> >> officer, addicted and dependent on his computer like
> most
> >> of us out here are would be a most enthusiastic
> proponent
> >> for more ICTs (from their personal appreciation of the
> >> same) than the illiterate officer who is merely
> >> attempting to implement policy but has no personal
> >> experience or appreciation of the same!
> >> 
> >> Then of course the Government has to take a bird's eye
> >> view of the needs of the nation, requiring delicate
> >> balancing given the limited resources available. The
> >> tunnel vision - worms-eye view? - of sector players
> like
> >> ourselves may limit our appreciation of the other
> demands
> >> made on the Government; leading us to question their
> >> failure to do more in our particular sector. Our
> demand
> >> should be that the public resources allocated to our
> >> particular sector are put to the best possible use,
> >> creating the greatest good for the greatest number of
> >> people - which of course is not always the case!
> >> 
> >> In response to your last query I dare say there is a
> >> place for both policy advocacy and implementation CSOs
> in
> >> this sector. But at CFSK we firmly believe in an
> >> integrated approach - we implement as we advocate!
> >> Subsequently the kind of advocacy we engage in is
> firmly
> >> informed by the practical hands-on experience we have
> >> garnered in the trenches! And I can tell you the
> >> differences between desk-bound advocacy and that
> driven
> >> from the battle front can be startling! Just one
> example
> >> - the value of refurb computers which many desk-bound
> >> advocates will dismiss as digital trash and eWaste
> >> dumping while those of us who are out in the schools
> and
> >> community centre's know that these computers will do
> >> everything a brand new computer can do and for quite a
> >> long period of time (albeit a little slower) given the
> >> NEEDS of the partners we work with and the limited
> >> resources available to them.
> >> 
> >> I regret Leonard that there has been no large scale
> >> impact assesment of CFSK's work. But from anecdotal
> >> evidence, we know it is immense - every child leaving
> a
> >> CFSK school is a potential lifetime computer user,
> every
> >> teacher/principal who has been through the CFSK
> training
> >> programmes is an ICT integrator ready to go - and
> there
> >> are numerous thousands of each; both categories are
> >> potential clients of computer sellers and internet
> >> service providers; and all are converts to the
> >> Information Age that will preach this gospel to
> others,
> >> bringing them on stream too. We firmly believe that
> >> introducing ICTs in a big way in the youth intensive
> >> environments is the ultimate gateway to ICT in
> national
> >> life. And of course ICT is a great empowerer of young
> >> people, and ICT and entrepreneurship form a natural
> >> partnership for employment and wealth creation in an
> >> enabling environment. Technopreneurship - especially
> for
> >> a country such as ours with very limited known natural
> >> resources to drive traditional industrialisation -
> must
> >> be the primary medium-term conduit to Vision 2030. And
> we
> >> believbe the work of CFSK has contributed greatly to
> >> this.
> >> 
> >> IDRC will in the near future publish a study of our
> work,
> >> but it will focus on our first two and a half years or
> >> so. We hope to gather the resources for a broader
> study
> >> in the not too distant future - particularly focussing
> on
> 
=== message truncated ===

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