Kenya has called on peers in the region to adopt similar policies on ICT in order to create a digital “ecosystem” to grow economies.
Speaking during the digital economy blueprint launch in Kigali, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised to create a nation “where every citizen, enterprise and organisation has digital access and the capability to participate and thrive in the digital economy”.
The blueprint he says will harness the disruptive nature of these new technologies to build a digital economy will require huge capital investments in research and development.
“New and emerging technologies are expected to change and improve many fundamental tasks and interactions in the coming years, including work ethics, travel and communication,” the document says on the pledge to support tech innovations.
Government officials see the blueprint as Kenya’s contribution to championing the growth of an African-wide digital economy, especially under the Smart Africa Alliance members.
“We are the new frontier for trade and investment with estimates indicating that by 2025, business opportunities in Africa will be about $5.6 trillion (Sh560 trillion),” Mr Kenyatta told the audience in Kigali.
Also present during the conference were leaders from Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Gabon and Burkina Faso who were among the first to endorse the Smart Africa manifesto in 2013 to provide leadership in development through ICT.
