By Fredrick Obura
The Kenya ICT Board will today announce winners of the first round of the digital content and software development grant.
Early this year, the board announced a grant worth Sh300 million ($4 million) targeting local entrepreneurs in the IT industry.
The grant is divided into four sections targeting individuals and firms with interest in building government information portal and captivating solutions for the private sector.
"The response to the grant was impressive, we are going to announce the firms under the Government Information Portal section who have won this highly competitive contest," said Lucy Odhiambo ICT Board Communications Manager.
She said the government information portal is critical for users to access information when needed.
The grant, targets entrepreneurs in the film, education, entertainment and advertising industries, is aimed at driving up Internet penetration and promoting local content development, a potential area for revenue generation.
According to a recent survey by TNS Research International, the penetration of Internet has not improved as anticipated despite the landing of two fibre optic cables.
A big percentage of rural parts of the country are not connected.
The research cited absence of relevant content as one of the reason many consumers shy away from logging on to the World Wide Web.
Software costs
The escalating cost of software has barred struggling developers from coming up with relevant content for the Kenyan market.
Digital content includes mobile and web content, e-learning, serious gaming and console gaming.
Odhiambo said film content and music are also considered digital content, although an in-depth strategy for these will be developed by Kenya Film Commission in conjunction with the ministry representing cultural affairs.
International regions including New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Canada and the EU, have recognised the importance of digital content in developing knowledge-based economies.
These regions have either developed or are in the process of developing new strategies and programmes for the sector. This will lead to an increase in international competition.
The ICT board says Kenya has key strengths that can aid in the development of a strong digital content industry.
"These include a relatively high population of well educated and exposed youth hungry for opportunity, a nascent technology-centric professional base that is staffed by young, energetic and innovative youth, innovative products and some competitive business costs," t says in its website.
"However, the industry is embryonic and fragmented and has yet to make real advances to the global markets or secure significant Foreign Direct Investment."
The board has identified a number of areas of focus for development of this industry: leadership, investment, skills and training, research and development, innovation and internationalisation.
The board’s major challenge is to effectively address these areas and thereby ensure the industry is equipped to maximise on the global opportunities presented.
