[kictanet] Universal Access in Kenya (Is it really working?)

Fri Dec 3 18:34:17 EAT 2010

Hi Edith 
I wish  to give a context to the IBM Corporate Social Corps (CSC) study
mentioned by PS Dr Ndemo and the findings. 

IBM CSC is a leadership social give-back initiative  designed to  expose
high performing IBM employees to emerging business markets, diverse cultures
, global teams  and complex policy environments.  The programme focuses on
several priorities which include 1.	Economic development and
innovation,2.	Raising global standards in education, 3.	Broadening
cultural awareness,4.	Promoting openness and transparency, and brings
together teams of IBM leaders with a diverse set of skills from around the
world and different business units. These teams are placed in growth markets
to tackle important social and economic issues in collaboration with
government and NGO partners from around the world. This year Kenya was a
beneficiary of the CSC programme and IBM CSC deployed 11 experts selected
from across the globe for one month on pro-bono basis. The first beneficiary
and really exploited the opportunity was MOIC under Dr Ndemo who wanted the
team to undertake an in-depth review of digital villages.  

The Team arrived in Kenya on September 17th for one month who carried out an
in-depth review through visits to  digital villages, pasha centres,
telecentres and community knowledge centres and  addressed the following
areas

.	Strategic Positioning of Digital Villages as Centres for Rural
Empowerment and Development
.	Strategic Framework: Rural IT Enabled Services (ITES) for Digital
Villages
.	Empowering Entrepreneurs to Successfully Operate their Digital
Villages

The output is an detailed analysis of the status, challenges and very
concise framework to go forward. In particular, the teams indentified  many
opportunities on  outsourcing services in the rural areas some of which are
indentified as low lying fruits---. In short, DV  are the confluence of
rural development and empowerment and a tool to eradicate the digital divide
and exclusion.  With the universal access  well advanced - over 80% of
population with afordable coverage -- DV are an opportunity to unlock
sustainable growth in the rural areas.   It is certainly gratifying to note
that Kenyan corporates are already taking advantage of the outcome of the
study and is a mark of confidence on digital villages and the exemplary
vision of Dr Ndemo to banish digital exclusion. 

IBM contracted Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) ( www.dotrust.org) to manage
the Kenyan programme in addition to other similar programmes in China,
Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt .I am responsible for the kenyan prgramme . Two
teams are scheduled in the first half of next year.  

cheers 

Muriuki Mureithi 

What can u do to promote world peace? Go home and love your  family. -Mother
Teresa

-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.k
e] On Behalf Of bitange at jambo.co.ke
Sent: 03 December 2010 16:05
To: mureithi at summitstrategies.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Universal Access in Kenya (Is it really working?)

Edith,
Safaricom moved with speed to roll out.  I will find out the new person
responsible for DVs in Safaricom and link her/him to you.  

It is unfortunate that I did not attend the function.  I understand these
were study findings that did not find out in detail what we as the
implenters were doing and where.  IBM study which visted several DVs started
from our offices and the findings have direct impact because we shall seek
to implement all the recommendations.

It is criminal that there are youth and women in this country who do not
know that there is money available for setting up business.  It is also
equally inexusable that we have unemployed graduates who should be trained
to write business plans for youth and women enterprises.  There is enough
money in CDF to provide such training.

We (all of us) must begin to dirty our hands by moving from conference rooms
to begin hands on training in rural Kenya.  In 1963 we agreed that ignorance
is one of the diseases we wanted to eliminate but 47 years down the road a
Kenyan is suffering somewhere yet there is plenty of resources to move us
forward.  I fail to understand for example, how we tolerate  a dirty city,
uncollected rates and a high unemployment.

We have agency banking law that would make DVs an instant success as remote
banking facilities but even the most educated Kenyan sometimes has no idea
this law exists.  How can we move from complaining to discussing such issues
that are bound to signicantly affect our lifes?

Ndemo.

Sent from my BlackBerryR

-----Original Message-----
From: Edith Adera <eadera at idrc.or.ke>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 14:33:03 
To: bitange at jambo.co.ke<bitange at jambo.co.ke>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject: RE: [kictanet] Universal Access in Kenya (Is it really working?)

Bwana Ndemo,

The mood on the universal access issue was that of "frustration" at the
workshop, and no one seemed to be aware that " one operator has already
rolled out 500 of these DVs" - is this information available within the
public domain? Where are these DVs? Which operator? Are there targets and a
penalty for the rest not rolling out given that this is in lieu of paying
for UA -  which is a citizen right?

I can't agree with you more on the need to have young people bold enough to
" take the appropriate risks to innovate and develop successful
enterprises". I dare to add that we need "A new breed of young people" that
will:-
* exude self-confidence; 
*will demonstrate effective leadership with integrity; 
*will have the ethos of community service; 
*and will take risks, innovative and build mega businesses.

The issue of targeting the age of 15-29 years was prominent in the
discussions at the workshop. Unfortunately, not many young people know that
these funds exist or even how to access them (this was evident in a recent
regional forum we organized on youth and ICTs and youth from Kibera and
rural Kenya were shocked to learn of it!).

Indeed, the idea of the research work is to "emphasize evidence based
decision-making" - the prominence and active participation of
representatives from the Ministry of Planning, Poverty Unit and Vision 2030
was very welcome by participants! and it's our hope that some of the ideas
that came out of the forum will be taken up. The PS challenged the academia
to partner with govt. to do further analysis on the census data (which has
now been released) to further explore the issues on ICTs and poverty (since
ICT questions were quite prominent in the census). 

We look forward to more information on the 500 DVs.

Edith

-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf
Of bitange at jambo.co.ke
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 1:34 PM
To: Edith Adera
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Universal Access in Kenya (Is it really working?)

Listers,
I am on record several times complaining the slow pace by the World Bank to
release the funds for the Pasha project.  I am told that this will happen in
January even though their pilot projects are operational.

This did not stop us from advancing the digital village concept.  We invited
the operators to roll them out in return for not paying the first year USF.
One operator has already rolled out 500 of these DVs.  There is a committee
in place to help the rest of the operators roll out.

IBM conducted a study on DVs to help further develop the value proposition.
As a result we have key corporations willing to participate.  For example
CFC Stanbic want their online share trade to be on DVs.

The challenge we have is getting entrepreneurs from every constituency.
Most regions folks expect grants.  The resources available are for revolving
funds.  In other words loans to set up the enterprise.  There is plenty of
loanable resources from Youth and Women Enterprise to the world bank.  Our
people must get to understand risk and enterprise.  Individually we must
spend all our energies to educate our people.  

I must state here that the last time we advertised, 95 percent of the 2000
applications came from one ethnic group.  We could not move for obvious
reasons.  I would hope in future listers seek to understand the problem
before rushing to making conclusions.  At this time of our development we
must emphasize evidence based decisions.

We are talking to MPs to assist disseminate some of these information.  Our
Parliamentary Chairman Hon. Eng. Spends most of the time explaining and
encouraging MPs to sensatize their own people.  We cannot for for example to
North Hor and put up a DV without willing people to run it.

On NOFBI I do not know what you are talking about because I know some
operators are using the network and it is managed by TKL.

Ndemo.

Sent from my BlackBerry(r)

-----Original Message-----
From: John Kieti <jkieti at gmail.com>
Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 10:36:25
To: <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Universal Access in Kenya (Is it really working?)

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