[kictanet] ICT BOARD - ANY LESSONS TO LEARN

[Bitange Ndemo]

Bernard,
The changes you are seeing now are as a result of the lessons we learnt
and correctly recommended that ICTB be combined with e-Government.  Most
of ICTB budget came from the World Bank and it meant that we do things as
per the demands of the Bank.  Majority of the staff were paid by the Bank
on contract basis.

Mid stream we changed policy and indeed communicated that we had shifted
from marketing Kenya abroad to local outsourcing.  This was necessitated
by the digitization program from WB resources.  Indeed work was done in
Ministry of Lands, State Law Office and Judiciary.  Registries that today
demad several applications and back end work.  If we had succeeded in
bringing the different ICT units together, we shall have realized our
local outsourcing much earlier and we hope this happens since they will be
singing from one hym book.

It was pointless to continue marketing Kenya abroad when we had sufficient
work locally.  In several fora, I stated that we wanted to invert India's
strategy (in October I will be in India to elaborate our strategy which
the Indians picked from Media) by looking more inwards for outsourcing. 
Once we became proficient and realized internal efficienies, then we could
now move to the outside world.  We still have the opportunity to use this
strategy.

On the innovation side we continued to encourage companies like IBM to
bring their research experience to Kenya.  Indeed if you peruse through
the MOU, we shall share IP proceeds while at the same time developing
capacity.  Research is the backbone of any country that is building
innovative capacity like Kenya.  We must inculcate that culture by
learning through others and that is what we were doing.

Our efforts to incubate several startups at Sameer flopped as we could not
get the funding.  There were several firms from the creative industry who
would have benefited from the program but we were told to hold it until
Konza was built.  As you know Konza was not just a real estate exercise as
some of you may have thought.  We were trying to create a non existent
creative economy ecosystem.  To realize the triple helix model of
development just like the newly induatrialized or industrialized
countries.  No country has developed on the backdrop of peasant mentality
devoid of research, policy and industry working in unison.

If you correlate for example, the growth of Korea and research spending,
you will see almost a perfect positive correlation.  The more the country
is spending on research, the more developed it becomes and more
sustainable wealth creation.

Working in Government is probably the most difficult assigment anyone can
do.  You get criticism from everybody.  There are multiple and conflicting
interests from various interest group that one must balance.  There is a
selfish parliament and individuals that no selection process can be fair. 
We tried our best and let us now support those in office to try as much.

Personally, I have no intention of ever wanting to serve in our sector at
the administrative level.  I continue to play a key role as a newly
appointed Honorary Chair of the Alliance for Affordable Internent (A4AI)
and an advisor to the Better than Cash Alliance.  I will also continue to
participate in activities that will deepen the application of technology
in Kenya.  I also have time now to write more than I have done before.

It is pointless to be aspectator who only highlight mistakes of those in
the field. I want to see you seek to lead ICTA just like Yawe has done
with Posta.


Ndemo.





> Listers,
>
>
>
> Now that the ICT Board has been disbanded (or absorbed not sure which), my
> head has been active with the thoughts of what really went wrong there and
> what lessons can be learnt. How did that board not leave us with anything
> tangible or is it just me who didn't follow on what they did.
>
>
>
> I always felt (quietly) that the ICT Board was going about their
> initiatives
> in the wrong (or not practical) way but I kept silent because I always
> kept
> feeling its me who was wrong. Now, more and more now, am starting to think
> something was wrong there.
>
>
>
> Anyone with any insights.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Kind Regards,
>
>
>
> Bernard Kioko
> Chief Executive Officer
>
> Bernsoft Interactive Limited
>
> P.O.Box 15177-00100 Nbi,Kenya
>
> Office:   +254-703-080-000
>
> Mobile: +254-722-540-883
>
>
>
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University of Nairobi
Business School, Lower Kabete Campus