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

Mon Jun 27 22:19:15 EAT 2016

Barrack

One thing that is glaring is that a lot of these work in Silos. A mash up of higher learning institutions, hubs, incubators, accelerators and businesses need to be prioritized to achieve true breakthroughs.

Of all the learning institutions I can single out Strathmore as the one closest to achieving true synergies between government, private sector and the start up community. This needs to be emulated by the rest of the country.

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 10:10 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> kictanet mailing list
>>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>>>> 
>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wangarikabiru%40yahoo.co.uk
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 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.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> kictanet mailing list
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>>> 
>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com
>>> 
>>> 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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20160627/9e3a8b50/attachment.htm>