[kictanet] Dy 2 of 10: How to Develop ICT Info-Structure

Tue Jun 28 01:21:52 EAT 2016

I feel that we have concentrated more on broadcast media and entertainment
while talking about local content. Michuki has tried to balance the debate.
I would like to hear from an ISP perspective, or even the IXP on what type
of content passes through their network. The most popular services in Kenya
are google.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, yahoo.com, twitter.com,
instagram.com, wikipedia.org. Throw in local news websites like nation.co.ke
and standardmedia.co.ke.

Apart from the ubiquitous MPESA, and local news, we are generally not
generating any local content of any value. What opportunities do we have
for local content? We have had extensive debates on the case for local
hosting, latency, keeping local traffic local, etc.

For me, local content would entail low hanging fruits like no government
official sends an official email from a yahoo account.

There has been positive effort by various stakeholders on local content. I
want to credit the government and other players like Google for the
wonderful work they have done, in digitising the Kenya gazette, and the
Kenya national archives. kenyalaw.org is a shining star on how local
content can be made available for the masses. The Africa ICT Policy
database by CIPIT at Strathmore http://ictpolicy.org/ is also something we
should applaud. The Universities in Kenya especially the University of
Nairobi has an extensive repository of all their dissertations, thesis,
publications, speeches, etc http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/
You see, we can start and continue with the low hanging fruits, then build
on them. There is still an extensive amount of information out there that
can be converted to meaningful local content.

Local content is tied at the hip with local hosting. There are still areas
that can be improved to have quality affordable local hosting. These are
affordable and reliable power supply (for powering and cooling), affordable
reliable broadband (the undersea cable is our saviour here), multihoming,
physical security, and economies of scale. To put things into perspective,
the Utah data center in US  require 65 megawatts of electricity to run
annually. Kenya's current effective installed grid electricity capacity is
2,200 megawatts. For that reason alone, colocation costs in Kenya re still
10 times more than those of Europe and US.

As Ali usually says in this list, we are not competing with ourselves. Our
competition is out there. Let us benchmark with them. Lets be audacious.
The Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). And are BHAGs not the ones that
propelled Kenya into the much envied  ICT trendsetter in the region?

______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya
twitter.com/lordmwesh

On 25 June 2016 at 19:30, Grace Githaiga via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Asante Ndugu Ali for sharing.
>
> Rgds
> GG
>
> ------------------------------
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Dy 2 of 10: How to Develop ICT Info-Structure
> From: ali at hussein.me.ke
> Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2016 15:49:31 +0300
> CC: ggithaiga at hotmail.com
> To: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>
>
> GG
>
> The answer to your issue on KBC could be found in this story:-
>
> The government has moved to split state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting
> Corporation (KBC) into two companies —public and commercial— in line with
> proposed recommendations in a draft ICT policy.
>
> The proposed changes are contained in the draft National ICT policy June
> 2016.
>
> KBC’s Managing Director Waithaka Waihenya said the move is aimed at making
> the corporation more competitive while at the same time protecting its role
> of informing the public without the headache of pursuing profits.
>
> Read on:-
>
> http://www.nation.co.ke/business/KBC-set-to-be-split-into-two-in-pursuit-of-profitability/-/996/3266434/-/p0qscdz/-/index.html
>
> 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 25 Jun 2016, at 3:32 PM, Grace Githaiga via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
> @Toepista
>
> KBC holds alot of historical content that should be digitized and made
> available to those interested. I know alot of guys in the diaspora who
> would want to have old music that is not easily available and footage that
> goes way back to 1963.
>
> Is it possible as a strategy to compel the National broadcaster (assuming
> it still gets support from the exchequer) to digitize content that is of
> national and cultural value to this country, and make it easily available
> to the public and local broadcasters? Say at a subsidized cost to cater or
> admin costs?
>
> Rgds
> GG
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2016 07:46:25 +0000
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Dy 2 of 10: How to Develop ICT Info-Structure
> From: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> CC: nabusoba at yahoo.com
> To: ggithaiga at hotmail.com
>
> My thoughts about local content and archival material
> Most media houses emphasize fresh and new content and may regard archive
> material as old. Yet archive material can be repackaged and replayed after
> months  even years (I like what foreign media do with their archives) while
> Kenyan media have units on almost all social subjects they score dismally
> on archival material which inform our past and future in all almost all
> aspects.
>
> When it comes to archiving of content especially broadcast some media
> houses are still grappling with the use of ICT’s. Media houses need a
> policy on archived content (if lacking-KBC's is hazy and adhoc), if they
> have such a policy then obviously it’s not functional and needs revamping.
> Individuals and institutions in need of archived content (from media
> houses) have a difficult time accessing that content even when they have
> the money to purchase and often forcd to resort to dubious means to access.
>
> Toepista
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Walubengo J via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> *To:* nabusoba at yahoo.com
> *Cc:* Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, June 23, 2016 8:25 AM
> *Subject:* [kictanet] Dy 2 of 10: How to Develop ICT Info-Structure
>
> I want to thank those who took time to send views on Day1 topic.  It is
> not too late to add more views on Day1 topic. Just ensure you post the
> contribution against the correct title.
>
> *Today we move to Day2 theme: **How to Develop ICT Info-Structure.*
>
> *Local Content,
> *Broadcast Content, Diversity, Cultural Identity
> *Access to Information/OpenData
>  *Local Application Development
>
> Background:
> Info-structure is what runs on the physical infrastructure.  Having empty
> cables with no activity is evidence of missing or under-developed
> infrastructure. Additionally, some bandwidth activity maybe irrelevant and
> may not add value to the socio-economic agenda of the nation.
>
> So today we talk about what needs to be done to ensure a vibrant local
> content industry. Content includes broadcast (film), blogs, websites, etc.
> We need to hear about the incentives we need to facilitate content creators
> & application developers work.
>
> How should Government Open-Data, River-wood and other Creative initiatives
> impact  local content economy?   What policy and strategy interventions can
> unlock the local content economy?
>
> There is no right or wrong way of saying what you want to be captured.  We
> have a Secretariate that will extract and frame the issue in a suitable
> policy or strategy format.
>
> We have 1 Day on this topic. Dont fear, just  fungua roho :-).
>
>
> walu.
>
>
>
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> 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.
>
>
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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.
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