[kictanet] Kenya's Silicon Savannah & the Need to do more

Wed Feb 25 09:46:21 EAT 2015

"The bad news is that higher learning in Kenya appears to be more of the
business of education than the quality of the programmes and relevance to
the market. There is a disconnect between what we are teaching and the
needs of local industry, such that universities stand accused of a failure
to proactively tune their programmes to market needs. The term “yellow
notes” has been mentioned in relation to use of the same material from year
to year by some lecturers and professors, caring less for the dynamic
nature of knowledge.

ICT education and knowledge is a fast-paced affair. Knowledge and its
packaging evolves rapidly, as do the delivery modes. Academic institutions
must keep up with these changes if their graduates, especially in ICT – a
key pillar to the President’s Digital Promise - have to find relevance in
the market."

I totally agree with you there. The way it works in our Universities is
that if teaching word processing pays and is easy to do, then that's what
they teach. They are under financial pressure but that is no excuse. If
they were to invest more in research, then they would come up with more
interesting things to teach, and these topics would then match with the
Industry demands. Otherwise we will never hear the last of the half-baked
graduate story. This is not easy to do, but it pays in the long run. But
how far can we see?

What we need to ask ourselves is this; what do the best Universities in the
world do that we don't? Why is everybody dying to go to MIT and Harvard?
When you look at the fees that these Universities charge, it shows that
they have enough money to invest in research, and the people who pay that
money can see the value that they get. For us, it's a vicious cycle of
mediocrity. If we continue teaching word processing in our Universities, we
will never produce the next Google or Facebook. The greatest IT companies
today came out University halls. What have our Universities produced
lately? From what I see, we are producing people who are very skilled in
implementing and supporting other people's technologies, and we are even
struggling with that!

Evans

On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 4:29 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> @Dr. Nyanchama
>
> Well written piece.
>
> @John
> I like your suggested interventions.
>
> *Ali Hussein*
>
> +254 770 906375 / 0713 601113
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>
> Skype: abu-jomo
>
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
>
> Blog: www.alyhussein.com
>
> "I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will
> have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Feb 24, 2015, at 9:07 PM, John Kieti via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
> Hi Dr. Nyanchama,
>
> The article helps in assembling a set of key considerations moving forward
> for the sector. On *Research and Development *(R&D), since we don't have
> many large native IT corporations that would afford the requisite R&D
> budgets, would you recommend that we treat innovation and entrepreneurship
> among thousands of startups as a democratized R&D division for the sector?
>
> Also, does it help to classify enterprises in the sector so as to develop
> targeted interventions? See my proposed taxonomy
> <http://www.slideshare.net/JohnKieti/taxonomy-of-it-enterprises-in-kenya-and-their-undeveloped-growth-interventions-aitec-presentation-feb-2015>
> and abstraction of undeveloped interventions shared last week at AITEC.
>
> Best regards
>
> On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 7:13 PM, Matunda Nyanchama via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Friends,
>>
>> The MoICT and ICT Authority are planning a 2-Day ICT Innovation Forum on
>> the 2nd and 3rd of March, 2015. See details on the ICT Authority website)
>> <http://www.icta.go.ke/event/national-ict-innovation-forum/>
>>
>> I offered (and the Technical Committee organizing the Forum agreed) that
>> I do 2 Op-ed pieces on the subject as a lead up to the Forum.
>>
>> Business News » Kenya as Silicon Savannah – The need to do more!
>> <http://www.aganoconsulting.com/businessnews/archives/240>; I will be
>> posting the second piece in the next day or so.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Business News » Kenya as Silicon Savannah – The need to do more!
>> <http://www.aganoconsulting.com/businessnews/archives/240>
>> Business News - Reading is FunDamental
>> View on www.aganoconsulting.com
>> <http://www.aganoconsulting.com/businessnews/archives/240>
>> Preview by Yahoo
>>
>>
>>  Kenya as Silicon Savannah – The need to do more!
>> by Matunda Nyanchama*
>> February 22, 2015
>>
>> The *National ICT Innovation Forum,*
>> <http://www.icta.go.ke/event/national-ict-innovation-forum/> convened by
>> the Ministry of Information Communications and Technology and ICT
>> Authority, is slated for March 2rd and 3rd, at the Kenyatta
>> International Conference Centre (KICC). Its theme is *Silicon Savannah!
>> Mind the Gap! Close the Gap!*
>>
>>  Participants are expected to tackle challenges pertaining to ICT
>> innovation in the country and the way forward to ensure ICT innovation
>> thrives in Kenya. Industry stakeholders are agreed: our ICT sector has
>> reached a tipping point: no longer just a sexy idea, but an industry that
>> is creating lasting change and impact.
>> One may ask why the theme: *Silicon Savannah! Mind the Gap! Close the
>> Gap!*?
>>
>> The media coinage, *Silicon Savannah,* has become near-synonymous with
>> Kenya’s technology sector. The words carry a subliminal play with America’s
>> Silicon Valley, home of many global technology giants such as Apple,
>> Google, Oracle and many others.
>>
>> As a country, we offer a series of advantages to claim the Silicon
>> Savannah brand. These include boasting a large number of academic
>> institutions offering ICT programmes; taught in English, the global
>> business language, steering our next generation of leaders; our laws and
>> regulations, favouring free market economics and more. This is in addition
>> to Kenya being the region’s economic powerhouse despite lacking in
>> resources (oil, minerals, etc.) that have been the curse of many African
>> nations.
>>
>> The Silicon Savannah label didn’t come by accident. A lot of time and
>> effort has been invested in promoting the country as a technology
>> destination. Under a triumvirate of the Ministry of Information of
>> Communications and Technology, the ICT Authority and Brand Kenya, the
>> nation’s image as a leader in the technology sector has continued to rise.
>>
>> And the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Kenya’s image, as a leader
>> in innovations, is well-known. One case in point is M-Pesa that stands out
>> to become a global brand in electronic money transfer. The Konza Technology
>> City plans, if well-executed, would further buttress the Silicon Savannah
>> brand. In addition, there is a lot more in the works with the vibrant
>> activities happening in incubation hubs, university ICT departments,
>> government, and the private sector. The future is bright; the future is IT.
>>
>> With Government and the private sector working in tandem, the Silicon
>> Savannah brand value can only grow. Others would claim that we have a huge
>> gap between that brand promise and where we are. In spite of the
>> achievements to date, serious work needs to be done to fully realize the
>> benefits of that gilded metaphor.
>>
>> There is a need to accelerate the pace of the sector’s growth via
>> deliberate efforts, plans, actions and performance monitoring. These
>> efforts must tap into the amount of energy devoted to innovation in order
>> to harness its full potential. The approach should result in a well-oiled
>> innovation ecosystem that would deliver the promise.
>>
>> A thriving innovation ecosystem needs key components synergistically
>> working towards a common goal: exponential ICT growth that has
>> wide-ranging, knock-on benefits. Key among these are the laws, regulations
>> and policies; access to knowledge and expertise; access to capital; ongoing
>> research and development; deliberate promotion of the sector’s products and
>> services; and a vibrant network of incubation hubs with clear tentacles to
>> the market, academia and financiers.
>>
>> *Laws, Regulations and Policies & Promotion of Kenya ICT Products &
>> Services*
>> The public sector, including national and county governments, public
>> agencies and state corporations, are major consumers of ICT products and
>> services. The national ICT spending across the public sector could be in
>> the range of hundreds of billions of Shillings. Now, suppose Government
>> regulations and policies required that we give priority to the local ICT
>> sector, driving innovation at home. This would assure a ready market for
>> Kenyan ICT products and services; the resultant process would create jobs,
>> build local ICT capacity and provide a springboard towards regional and
>> international growth for the sector.
>>
>> There is more.
>>
>> With the recognition of the significance of the ICT sector, Government
>> could make deliberate effort to promote the sector abroad. It is key to
>> include ICT sector representation in international trade fairs and
>> promotions the country participates in. In part, it would help the sector’s
>> targeted contribution of 8% GDP and 180,000 jobs by 2017.
>>
>> *Knowledge and Expertise *
>> In recent years, Kenya has seen a substantial growth of institutions:
>> universities are expanding both in student population and in programmes
>> offered. This is the good news.
>>
>> The bad news is that higher learning in Kenya appears to be more of the
>> business of education than the quality of the programmes and relevance to
>> the market. There is a disconnect between what we are teaching and the
>> needs of local industry, such that universities stand accused of a failure
>> to proactively tune their programmes to market needs. The term “yellow
>> notes” has been mentioned in relation to use of the same material from year
>> to year by some lecturers and professors, caring less for the dynamic
>> nature of knowledge.
>>
>> ICT education and knowledge is a fast-paced affair. Knowledge and its
>> packaging evolves rapidly, as do the delivery modes. Academic institutions
>> must keep up with these changes if their graduates, especially in ICT – a
>> key pillar to the President’s Digital Promise - have to find relevance in
>> the market.
>>
>> There is more. There are few institutions with focus on bridging gaps
>> between what is learnt in universities and what the market needs. Further,
>> as a relatively young (e.g. compared with engineering) discipline the
>> sector does not have a clearly defined professional path for growth.
>>
>> Nonetheless, the need for programmes that bridge gaps between academic
>> qualifications and practical industry needs has never been greater. There
>> are yawning gaps in this space. Indeed, it is this realization that
>> resulted in the establishment the recently launched Presidential Digital
>> Talent Programme to address government ICT needs.
>> Sadly, there is still more bad news.
>>
>> As we celebrate the mushrooming of universities we appear to have
>> forgotten the key role played by tertiary and vocational training
>> institution. Our universities appear to have grown at the expense of
>> polytechnics and, in the process, left a gap in human capital development.
>>
>> Finally, considering that ICT is expected to play a key role in economic
>> growth, there is a need to ensure that ICT graduates come out of university
>> equipped with even basic business knowledge, such as knowledge of
>> intellectual property and how to secure it; and how to turn the
>> intellectual property into a business venture, how to raise money and how
>> to run an enterprise.
>>
>> *Access to Capital *
>> According to recent private equity surveys, Kenya is missing out to its
>> African neighbours, Nigeria, and South Africa. The challenges in Kenya
>> include lack of innovator awareness of the varied range of sources of
>> capital and the required preparedness to obtain risk capital. This has also
>> been blamed on lack of viable business plans for early-stage businesses.
>>
>> On the other hand, most investors stake their money in tried and tested
>> ventures such as in real estate; and they have poor understanding of the
>> technology sector. Clearly, there is a need to address the gap via (say) a
>> venture capital fund that would help start-ups go through the early stages
>> of development while raising awareness on the potential for growth that the
>> sector presents.
>>
>> *Research and Development*
>> Innovation pertains to improvements (product, service, process) that
>> addresses a key need. Often innovation takes ideas from different
>> disciplines, combines these to realize something new. A good example is
>> M-Pesa that significantly improved the movement of money using mobile phone
>> and messaging.  It was an innovation that has transformed lives.
>>
>> In order to experiment with and test ideas, there is a need to have
>> ongoing research and development. The need for collaboration and
>> cooperation between the ICT sector and academic institutions, has never
>> been greater. In addition, companies - public and private - need to set up
>> research and development departments that would be charged with continual
>> innovation.
>>
>> Often significant value can be realized through incremental changes via
>> co-innovation, e.g. through customization and incremental change to an
>> existing product, service or process.
>>
>> Research and development activity can be substantially enhanced through
>> government incentive programmes.
>>
>> *The Innovation Hubs*
>> A number of these exist in the country. They are run as independent
>> businesses, components of businesses or academic institutions. There is no
>> doubt that a lot takes place in these hubs, with respect to testing and
>> incubating ideas with a view to commercialization.
>>
>> The need for stakeholder collaboration has never been greater. There is a
>> need for greater awareness of their role and structure and value they add
>> to the innovation value chain.
>> …
>> The need for focus in ICT innovation has never been greater. Deliberate
>> action is needed in order to create a well-oiled innovation ecosystem with
>> a friendly policy and regulatory environment, aided by a supportive
>> incubation ecosystem, supplied with relevant skills, fed by ongoing
>> research and development, served with risk capital, and actively promoted
>> nationally and globally by all.
>>
>> *Dr. Matunda Nyanchama is a Director and Managing Consultant at Agano
>> Consulting Inc., and a Technical Advisor in the Ministry of Communications
>> and Technology and can be reached at **mnyacnhama at aganoconsulting.com*
>> <mnyacnhama at aganoconsulting.com>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com
>> Agano Consulting Inc.;  www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda;
>> <http://twitter.com/#%21/nmatunda>Skype: okiambe
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>
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>
>
> --
>
> John Kieti
> Phone: +254-735-764242 // +254-722-764242
> Twitter: @johnKieti // Skype:  jkieti
> Blog: gmeltdown.com <http://www.gmeltdown.com> // LinkedIn:
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>
> The ordinary just won't do
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> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>

-- 

*----------------------------------------------------Kind Regards,Evans
Ikua,*
Skype: evans.ikua
Twitter: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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