[kictanet] Draft National ICT Policy Discussions Day 5 of 10: How to Develop the local ICT Industry

Mon Jun 27 22:10:39 EAT 2016

Many thanks Ali, Wangari , Kivuva, Ahmed, Timothy and Walu for your
timely and well thought interventions, i am just wondering how do we
strengthen the Capacity of local Hubs providing mentorship and
incubation such as I lab Africa, I Hub, C4D Lab , LakeHub and Swahili
Box?, are there any policy incentives that can bolster the Capacity of
this Institutions? Is there a way Government initiatives such as Tivet
can be redesigned to promote growth of the local ICT industry from
mashinani?

I look forwad to your comments on the same...

On 6/27/16, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> A review of the ICT Start-up ecosystem is totally lacking in this policy
> document. It is imperative that we do a deep dive of this ecosystem and
> ensure that private and public/government efforts are aligned. Totally. It
> is nonsensical to think that this sector will become world class without
> private, public and government working in tandem.
>
> Some of the areas to look into:-
>
> a) Capacity building for entrepreneurs
> b) A regulatory environment that is super conducive to the ecosystem while
> protecting the public good.
> c) Access to markets outside the country
> d) Access to cheap capital.
>
> Regards
>
> Ali Hussein
> Principal
> Hussein & Associates
> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> Skype: abu-jomo
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>
>
> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what
> no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On 27 Jun 2016, at 9:43 PM, Wangari Kabiru via kictanet
>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Blessed Monday!
>>
>> Comments to today's deliberations;
>>
>> * eCommerce
>> - Growth highly tied to financial services as it is about exchange of
>> value; innovation, convenience, security
>>
>> * National Addressing System
>> - Building codes as a regulation; may be caught up with new construction
>> works with a requirement to be "digi-compliant" as part of the standard
>> code.
>> - Keep in mind in all Urban cities and townships of rural areas, there are
>> sprawling informal settlements and slums - how to apply this otherwise
>> masses are left behind.
>> - Academia front; what courses are ongoing or to be created to support
>> this
>> - With the massive infrastructural developments, tie up e.g the road works
>> with the fibre works or any other visionary works that support ICT
>> developments so that we do not have double work done, e.g airport works,
>> SGR railway works
>>
>> * Local eBusiness
>> * BPOs
>> * Investment incentives (Equity Shares)
>> - For the above, a relook at why we seem to go forward and backwards would
>> be useful. BPOs hype was there not too long ago. I would say we are lazily
>> satisfied with a scratch of the sector.
>> - Create a shift from consumer to mass creator
>> - Academia would be a great partner to drive this
>>
>> *  ICTs in SME, (Small Medium Size Enterprises)
>> - Firstly SME in Kenya is probably your jua kali outfit
>> - Anything beyond that is high chances not owned locally or majority of
>> the ownership
>> - Taking cognisance of this, the policy must speak into the small nature
>> of the Kenyan SME and not camouflage the needs
>> - Back again to the need to engage closely with the Ministry of
>> Industrialisation
>>
>> *ICT regional export incentives
>> - The incentives need to be beyond the East Africa Community
>> - i.e make the market BIG which is attractive for trade
>>
>> * Local Device Manufacturing
>> - Sincerely this is the turning key for our nation in ICT
>> - Whether Kenya is an attractive manufacturing point or not
>> - This impacts on the import policies
>> - Relook, reevaluate, withdraw trade agreements and relations that do not
>> allow the true development of ICT manufacturing
>> - Back to interministerial relations on policy matters
>>
>>
>> Blessed day!
>>
>> Regards/WangariOn Jun 27, 2016 07:42, Barrack Otieno via kictanet
>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>> Listers,
>>>
>>> As was the case last week, feel  free to contribute on previous
>>> threads as long as you pick the corresponding title.  Also remember,
>>> if you wish to  directly edit the Draft ICT policy, visit Jadili
>>> platform  (http://jadili.ictpolicy.org/docs/kenya-ict-policy),
>>> register and post.
>>>
>>> So onto todays theme:
>>>
>>> * eCommerce, National Addressing System
>>> * Local eBusiness,
>>> *  BPOs
>>> * Investment incentives (Equity Shares)
>>> * ICTs in SME, (Small Medium Size Enterprises)
>>> * ICT regional export incentives
>>> * Local Device Manufacturing
>>>
>>> The Background:
>>>
>>> Building new ICT enterprises while integrating ICTs in existing
>>> enterprises, particularly the SMEs will accelerate the overall
>>> productivity of our  economy while increasing  the percentage
>>> Contribution of ICT to the national GDP.
>>>
>>> Previous attempts to play in the BPO sector have been made but this
>>> has not yet played out successfully. Additionally very few indigenous
>>> ICT firms exist, let alone venture out to the regional markets.
>>> Attempts to have a vibrant local assembly/manufacturing of consumer
>>> goods or devices (phones, tablets, laptops) seem also seems stunted.
>>>
>>> What policies, strategies should we propose? We would like to  hear
>>> your views over the next 12hrs.
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>> --
>>> Barrack O. Otieno
>>> +254721325277
>>> +254733206359
>>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>>
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>>>
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>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
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>>>
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>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
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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.
>

-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
+254721325277
+254733206359
Skype: barrack.otieno
PGP ID: 0x2611D86A