Kenya strikes deal with China to boost ICT Sector

CS Joe Mucheru

Globally the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector has proven to be a strong growth factor toward the GDP of nations.

 In Africa the sector has been the major economic driver in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade, witnessing an annual compounded growth rate of 40 per cent; and, although mobile and Internet penetration remains relatively low in Africa, never before in the history of the continent has the population been as connected as it is today, thereby poising itself to continue its ICT growth trajectory.

During the second the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019, China pledged to continue to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries.

According to President Xi Jinping; “China will continue to, in keeping with the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, help enhance Africa’s production capacity in the secondary and tertiary industries, and promote the transformation and upgrading of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation focusing on improving Africa’s internally driven growth that reduces reliance on export of raw materials, according to the declaration document.

“China will, as always, offer assistance and support to Africa’s development with no political strings attached,” the document says.

 It is expected that China-Africa relations will continue to deepen and evolve in the coming years. In addition to investment in traditional sectors, there are great opportunities for China-Africa cooperation in science and technology.

Science and technology are an important part of human civilization and have profoundly changed the world landscape and the destiny of nations. The fourth industrial revolution has approached, which will greatly change the way people live and work efficiency. At present, Africa's science and technology market has great potential to be developed.

 In recent years, the information and communication technology (ICT) has developed rapidly in African countries, with companies like Huawei actively participating in the planning and construction of their national information and communication technology, which helps them realize digital transformation and promote local economic and social development.

The most representative way is to hold ICT skills competition in cooperation with local universities in African countries, so as to stimulate local young people's interest in ICT and help train local talents. Huawei's skills competition and related training programs, which are in line with the development agenda of African governments to enhance young people's abilities and cultivate talents in information and communication technology, have attracted tens of thousands of students from dozens of universities to participate in the competition, ranging from cloud computing, artificial intelligence, mobile network and big data.

In addition, the company has jointly launched the Huawei information and network institute plan, which is a non-profit professional certification program of information and communication technology, that has been carried out in more than 150 universities around the world.

 

Africa is the youngest and most dynamic continent in the world. ICT will lead the practice of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Africa, help Africa achieve independent and sustainable development, fully release Africa's huge development potential, and build a "smart Africa" of the Internet of everything.

The digital transformation is an important part of "One Belt One Road" initiative. Till now, more than 100 countries and international organizations have joined the "Belt and Road" initiative, and over 40 countries and international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China, forming broad consensus on international cooperation.

 Only by improving the information infrastructure and digital network service system of China and countries along the "One Belt One Road", can the interconnection between countries be achieved. The construction of digital "Belt and Road" is inseparable from the participation of information and ICT enterprises.

 Global ICT giants in ICT infrastructure provision, in line with their open, cooperative, and win-win principles are teaming up partners and developers to explore the road to digital transformation and create business success for customers by maximizing their robust ICT capabilities. As a leading global ICT solutions provider, Chinese tech giant, Huawei has signaled its intention to drive advanced technology deeper into the African market.

In many developing countries across the globe, Kenya included, are striving to install and embrace new technologies in the ICT sector in an effort to create new ecosystems and generally making ICT a cornerstone of industrial digitalization.

“Kenya is one of the leading countries in Africa for technology producing some fantastic technology innovations. It has some of the best technology infrastructure on the continent and is a fast adopter of new innovations,” said Su Shuqi, Training and Certification Manager of Huawei Kenya.

 In a bid to support Kenya’s Digital transformation and provide ICT skills in Kenya, Huawei Technology has renewed their long-trusted partnership with the government. This will work to improve the provision of ICT skills, build capacity as well as infrastructure and IT Services.

 ‘Huawei is keen on partnering with the government and other agencies on ICT projects that will go a long way in boosting the country’s economy. For us, this cordial partnership is a proof of our continued commitment towards growing the ICT sector in Kenya,’ stated Huawei Deputy CEO Frank Zhou.

 Last year, Huawei signed the Framework Distribution Agreement in Kenya with Redington. These agreements signified that they will increase the Huawei enterprise business’s presence in the global market, accelerate ICT development.

Kenya is also set to receive a boost in her effort to widen and leverage the ICT infrastructure through this partnership.

 Meanwhile, Huawei will continue to lay out its digital transformation plans for various major ministries such as health, security, education, and transport among others in a bid to help the country fulfill its vision 2030.