[kictanet] Commodity Exchange System

[Edith Adera]

In other African countries, even where such large projects are outsourced to foreigners, twinning is done with local IT firms as a requirement and subsequent roll-out to branch offices are done entirely by locals - I'm aware of a massive systems deployment within government in a neighboring country where such twinning is being done and the system roll-out will be done by locals. NCPB is a government agency, correct? If so, the government should look inward first!

Dr Ndemo, any comment? You've always been an advocate of local innovation.

Why do we have global award winners who can't be tried and tested locally? what policy should be in place to encourage local software innovation? The argument that local firms are free to competet alongside international firms at this stage of our development is a "tired" argument in my view. Some "affirmative action" policy may be necessary.

Edith

________________
Edith Ofwona Adera
Senior Program Specialist
ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program
International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international
Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa
Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera
eadera at idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera at idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/>
________________________________
From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Mwololo Tim [timwololo at gmail.com]
Sent: 23 September 2010 08:26
To: Edith Adera
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Commodity Exchange System

Hi everyone,
Let us instead push for a policy that is supportive of local software development. Giving up is not an option. Rgds. tm


On Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 2:22 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk<mailto:robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>> wrote:
Hi,

The National Cereals and Produce Board together with the East African Grain Council are working towards the creation of a commodity exchange to trade futures.

This process is at an advanced stage which begun with a process called warehouse receipting and currently Equity Bank offers credit against the receipts.

What does this have to do with us in the IT field?  When the Nairobi Stock Exchange tendered for the automated trading system (ATS) and more recently for the Broker Back-office System no local IT company made it past the 1st round.

The fact that companies like Virtual City are winning international awards for systems development and others like PesaPal are receiving large direct foreign investments means that we do have the skills to develop world class solutions.

This is an appeal to all ICT experts in the country to prepare ourselves to make sure that the grain exchange system is locally developed and we stop being spectators in our own country.  I know it is said that a prophet is never recognised in his own town, it is time we made this phrase redundant.

NCPB and others are already shopping overseas for a solution so be warned that time is not in our hands and if we are to have an impact we need to move quickly.

The proposed system is supposed to provide a trading platform, depository system, GIS for land information, settlement system, warehouse management, weather monitoring and seed planting information system (acreage, seed type, fertiliser, etc).

Lets get off our high horses and put a together a world class solution for a local problem.  No tears after the horse has bolted.

Useful links

http://dn.nationmedia.com/DN/DN/2010/09/03/ArticleHtmls/03_09_2010_030_014.shtml
http://allafrica.com/stories/200904271171.html
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200904271171.html>http://www.ratin.net/mainfeature.asp?id=40
<http://www.ratin.net/mainfeature.asp?id=40>http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Smart%20Money/-/688614/899436/-/bypmdxz/-/index.html
<http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Smart%20Money/-/688614/899436/-/bypmdxz/-/index.html>http://www.unctad.info/upload/SUC/LusakaWorkshop/WarehouseServicesKenya.pdf
<http://www.unctad.info/upload/SUC/LusakaWorkshop/WarehouseServicesKenya.pdf>

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696



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