[kictanet] [Skunkworks] SAP and Kenya ICT Board Partner on Skills Develeopment

[Evans Ikua]

Mwendwa, this is where we have a disconnect. To build onto what you have
pointed out, the Government would do good to actively support the
development of the capacity of local developers who can be able to extend
and develop local or open source ERPs, and any other systems. My big
question here to Paul is, how much money do we lose in forex buying SAP and
all the other software licenses annually, as a country? Can we get figures
of how much a standard SAP implementation costs? How many are there in the
country? How much of that money stays in the country and how much goes to
Germany? Aren't we better off investing in our own developer skills so that
we can keep some of this money within the country (and maybe pay teachers
better)?

The reason why rich countries stay rich is because they have positive
balances of payments. A poor country like Kenya has a negative balance of
payments. This basically tells us that we need to import as little as
possible, and export as much as possible. Then vision 2030 becomes easier
to achieve.

Countries like Malaysia, Brazil, UK and Germany have come to this
realization. They know what is in their best business interest and so they
actively support local developer capacities, as opposed to having software
engineers whose work is just to install packaged software from shiny discs.

Brain drain? When we have a situation like I have just mentioned above, the
really good developers will never have an incentive to stay in a country
where all they do is install software. They will soon emigrate to Germany
(or Silicon Valley) where they can be employed by SAP to get involved in
the exciting world where they can actually do the development. With open
source, they would stay in Kenya and still get to develop exciting
applications

On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 11:50 AM, lordmwesh <lordmwesh at gmail.com> wrote:

> This is a great debate, but we should not trivialize what the ICT
> board is trying to do in helping build local SAP developers. Any
> movement forward is welcomed.
>
> Although Great developers don't need any baby sitting, they will move
> and work with any platform may it be proprietary closed or Free open
> source.
>
> The debate of what software an enterprise should use should be decided
> by the investors, after analysing all risks involved.
>
> SAP has seen an opportunity to develop local talent, great.
>
> Anybody who feels like me that local developers should also be taught
> to integrate Open source ERPs should sponsor them too. A lot of talk
> and no walk will not help anybody.
>
> Kudos KICTB, Any movement forward is welcomed.
> ______________________
> Mwendwa Kivuva
> For
> Business Development
> Transworld Computer Channels
> Cel: 0722402248
> twitter.com/lordmwesh
> transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing
> kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
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-- 
*----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,*
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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