[kictanet] Connected KE: Kenyan Tech companies seek more involvement in govt projects

Wed May 29 16:37:10 EAT 2013

Ken and all

This is a debate that will have to continue as there is no easy answer. This country has moved ahead in lots of areas and homegrown ICT Companies are trailblazing in many areas. Some that come to mind:-

1. Seven Seas
2. Copy Cat
3. Pesapal
4. Cellulant
5. Adwest/Jamii Telecom

And many others. My take is that there is room for both players. In fact most of the deals done by some of the major Multi-nationals are fronted by local companies as resellers, systems integrators etc. the fact of the matter is that this is an ecosystem that needs to be fed and there will always be room for both. This is a fact of life not only in Kenya but across the world. 

Chinese companies are eating the lunch (and dessert) of some of the biggest boys (and girls so that I'm not accused of being gender insensitive) :) in Europe and the Americas in Government infrastructure projects. Africa is the only hyper growth market left. What we must do is up our game,  continue to learn from the big boys and girls and if we feel that we are ready to go it alone we go it alone.

Government must do its part by insisting on local partnerships and technology transfer. I believe this is already happening somewhat informally. What we must do is continue to lobby (Industry Body anyone?) for this to be embedded in big procurement deals. The ICT Ministry must take the bull by its horns and embed this in its procurement procedures. The private sector must come to the table as one industry body and push for this.

KEPSA has been extremely successful in this and we can borrow a leaf here. Guess where the President went the first week he was declared President-Elect? KEPSA. Need I say more? 

Listers some of these issues will remain talk shop agendas and never move beyond that if we don't act. A cohesive industry body is critical to articulate our issues. So who will join me to either form one, take over a moribund one, assimilate into one that is still alive but needs a kick in the back? 

Ali Hussein
CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd
Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd

+254 713 601113

"The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb

Sent from my iPad

On May 29, 2013, at 4:01 PM, "Ken Mwaura" <mwaura.kenn at gmail.com> wrote:

>  
>  
> Competing on a level playing ground is not prudent, some situations demand reliability. Experience & ability in handling the unexpected in a timely manner.
>  
> Besides, it also ensures the Govt. that the applicant’s business is a going concern.   
>  
>  
> Kind regards,
> 
> Ken Mwaura.
> 
> Public & Private Cloud Consultant
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> Kusi Lane, off 3rd Parklands Avenue.| Mobile +254 738959900, +254 723650688.
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>  
> From: kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mwaura.kenn=gmail.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Conrad Akunga
> Sent: 29 May 2013 15:12
> To: Ken Mwaura
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Connected KE: Kenyan Tech companies seek more involvement in govt projects
>  
> If local companies are as good as they fondly believe to be, why should they want preferential treatment?
>  
> I would think a more robust solution is for unnecessary barriers to entry like "10 million turnover" and "8 years audited accounts" be removed so that everyone competes on a level playing field.
>  
> Mediocrity lies at the end of any road when any criteria other than A Game is considered. 
> —
>  
> 
> On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 1:37 PM, Rebecca Wanjiku <rebeccawanjiku at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>  
> For the last five years, there has been a common chorus among local tech companies; they want more of the large government contracts. We all want a piece of that large cake.
> Most of the money spent on government tech projects has gone to large corporations like Oracle, SAP, IBM etc. With the big budgetary requirements, many companies are locked out of these projects.
> The talk of technology transfer has been on for so long but the international companies just set up local branches, poach the guys from the local companies and move on. Its a competitive environment and the options look minimal.
> Read more.......
>  
> http://www.wanjiku.co.ke/2013/05/kenyan-tech-companies-seek-more-involvement-in-govt-projects/
>  
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