Its more than 2cts Victor, nice writeup, i had a chance to talk to the Smart Village Guys in Cairo and they actually said it is a franchise and can be replicated outside Egypt, not sure if this is a path we would like to follow, i can avail the contacts for interested investors (Yawe dont miss this)<br>
<br>Blessings<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 8:59 AM, Victor Gathara <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:v-gathara@dfid.gov.uk">v-gathara@dfid.gov.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2">Dr
Ndemo,</font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2"></font></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2">The following is an
excerpt for a paper I wrote on the impact of the arrival of sub-marine
fibre in East Africa(<a href="http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/workingpapers/Gathero.doc" target="_blank">http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/workingpapers/Gathero.doc</a>).
In it I suggest we adopt consultant Booz Allen Hamilton's six levers for
successful development of an ICT park strategy for Kenya. </font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2"></font></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2">______________________</font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2"></font></span> </div>
<div><span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">ICT Parks</font></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Kenya</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">’s
BPO sector cannot succeed without a critical mass of companies at least a
handful of which must be of significant size (000s of employees). The Government
can fast-track an environment conducive to ICT sector growth by fostering ICT
parks -</span><span> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">one
or more buildings in which there is a full range of services including reliable
electrical power, high speed lines, cabling, physical security and so
on</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. GoK has undertaken the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">creation
of one such park in Athi River. Building is expected to commence in
July. The park will occupy about 5000 acres of land and is expected to employ
over 10,000 people. While a positive undertaking, the park should be considered
as part of an overall strategy. Consultant firm</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Booz Allen Hamilton has reviewed the learning from
global experiences and suggests six main levers for the successful development
of ICT parks:<a title="" name="125de62ed3e0af33__ftnref1"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><font size="1">[1]</font></span></span></span></span></a></span></font><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" lang="EN"><br>
<br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Purpose - This element must be articulated up front as it directly
impacts the physical environment, regulatory and legal context, economic focus,
level of integration to the national economy, etc. To illustrate, parks can
focus on objectives dealing with ICT sector development, attraction of foreign
investments and/or retention of domestic investments, and incubation of new
business. The purpose of the Athi River
Park should be clearly
articulated.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Value Proposition - Central to the success of an ICT park is the
definition and enactment of a legal and regulatory framework, provision of
adequate infrastructure and facilities, availability of support services,
overall quality of life, and location, to name a few. Importantly, the offering
of communication-related services such as voice and data telecommunications,
managed data services, and media broadcast all play a key role in shaping the
value proposition. It would be good to get a blueprint of the park widely
circulated showing advantages of businesses being housed there. The government
can also make it easy for local or foreign firms to set up operations for
example by giving tax incentives to companies, domestic and foreign operating in
the park.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br><br><font face="Arial"></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Location - The efficiency, effectiveness, and resulting lifestyle
in these parks are important attributes. As a result, ICT parks tend to be
located in dedicated areas outside the main city and within a short driving
distance. They also tend to be located within a short driving distance from the
airport as well as prominent universities. This clearly suits Athi River as
a choice location with its distance from Nairobi,
Daystar University and Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport. Last but not least, Booz Allen
suggests the park dedicates 30%-50% of their space to green areas with the
objective to create a distinctive and attractive environment. <br><br></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Partnership - ICT parks require close links to academic
institutions, real estate developers, venture capitals and financial
institutions, investment promotion agencies, and national government agencies
involved in the ICT sector. To illustrate, and building on the learning of the
broader experience of technology parks, nearly 50% of such developments are
pursued within university-related premises. It would be prudent for the
government to initiate such partnerships in this early stage.<br><br></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Funding - ICT parks can be funded primarily through the private
sector (e.g., real estate developers, private investors/placement) and
government agencies if required. They are self-sustainable financially and can
generate attractive returns. In this regard GoK should seek to enter Private
Public Partnerships to ensure that there is private sector
buy-in.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><font face="Arial">• Competitive Positioning - ICT parks can define their competitive
positioning along three dimensions. Firstly, they need a differentiated
positioning vis-à-vis other comparable developments within the same region
(e.g., within the Arabian Peninsula, such as
the Dubai Media city). Secondly, they need to offer distinctive benefits at a
national level, in particular when considering that 50% of the tenants could
represent already established institutions. Thirdly, ICT parks can be defined as
part of a regional network of parks. Such a 'constellation' of parks aims to
create cross-border synergies and complementary products, services, and
strengths. The concept of 'constellation' is already into play at a national
level with developments such as the Smart Villages in Egypt having planned presences in Giza (Cairo), Mansoura
(Cairo), and Alexandria. The Athi River Park should therefore not be seen in
isolation but as part of a constellation of parks. Others could be developed in
University towns such as Eldoret, Nakuru and Juja.</font></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" lang="EN"><br><br></span></p>
<div><br clear="all"><font face="Arial">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%">
</font>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a title="" name="125de62ed3e0af33__ftn1"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><font size="1">[1]</font></span></span></span></span></a><span><font face="Arial" size="1"> Booz Allen Hamilton: ICT
parks offer a fast-track development approach for the Middle East, </font><a href="http://www.ameinfo.com/66995.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><font face="Arial" size="1">http://www.ameinfo.com/66995.html</font></span></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"> </font></p></div></div></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div align="left"><font size="2"><b>Victor Gathara</b><font color="#c0c0c0">|</font> UK Department for International Development<font color="#c0c0c0">|</font> Regional IS Manager , East Africa<font color="#c0c0c0">|</font> <font face="Wingdings">*</font><font face="Arial">
</font><font color="#008080" face="Arial">email:</font> <font color="#808080" face="Arial"><a title="mailto:v-gathara@dfid.gov.uk" href="mailto:v-gathara@dfid.gov.uk" target="_blank">v-gathara@dfid.gov.uk</a></font> <font face="Wingdings">(</font>
<font color="#008080" face="Arial">Telephone:</font> <font color="#808080" face="Arial">+254 20 2873349</font><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Wingdings">(</font> <font color="#008080" face="Arial">Fax:</font> <font color="#808080" face="Arial">+254 20 2873102 </font><font face="Wingdings">)</font><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font color="#008080" face="Arial">Ftn:</font><font color="#808080"> </font><font color="#808080" face="Arial">8300 3349</font><font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Wingdings">)</font><font face="Arial"> </font><font color="#008080" face="Arial">Mobile</font><font face="Arial">:</font><font color="#808080" face="Arial"> +254 733</font><font color="#808080" face="Arial"> 414846
</font><font face="Arial"></font><font color="#008080" face="Arial">url:</font><font face="Arial"> </font><font color="#808080" face="Arial"><a title="http://www.dfid.gov.uk/" href="http://www.dfid.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.dfid.gov.uk</a></font></font></div>
<div> </div><br>
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