Kenya Kwanza digital master plan key to job creation, economic growth

President William Ruto during the Unveiling of Digital Government services at KICC, Nairobi. [PCS]

One of the key promises of the Kenya Kwanza administration was to transform provision of services by leveraging technology. Well, the promise is on course with ongoing implementation of the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032, which underpins the country's digital plans.

The ambitious plan centres around five pillars comprising digital infrastructure, digital services and data management, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship, and effective alignment to policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks. The ultimate aim of the project is to enable the government to deploy technology to improve public services by digitising government records and, more fundamentally, foster an innovation and entrepreneurship culture.

Without doubt, going digital will be a game-changer in transforming the economy, creation of the much needed jobs and in driving financial and economic inclusion.

In a revolutionary move, 5,000 services are now accessible through the e-Citizen portal. President William Ruto set the pace by quickly making the Cabinet office and meetings digital. Now this shift to a paperless government can only gather momentum with the ultimate aim of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in provision of all critical services. The government also plans to implement the national digital identity which will converge all crucial identification documents through a national integrated identity management system.

Among the biggest challenges that Kenya is grappling with today is lack of employment, especially among our youthful population. However, it inspires hope that the government is making deliberate and serious interventions in a bid to address this challenge. The government has identified technology as the centrepiece of its job-creation plans. This explains why it is focusing on projects such as digital superhighway, Konza Technopolis, digital hubs in wards, and free Wi-Fi in markets and trading centres.

In partnership with the private sector, the government is extending the national digital superhighway fiber optic cable by 100,000km over the next five years. This will significantly expand access to the internet, spurring generation of numerous jobs and a variety of entrepreneurial opportunities for Kenyans and the youths in particular.

Konza too has made admirable progress, inching closer to being a reality. Besides generating thousands of jobs, the smart city, alongside other digital initiatives looks set to cement Kenya's profile as a Silicon Savannah. The projects that are currently ongoing in Konza are Intelligent Transport System and Integrated Control Centre, the establishment of a start-up ecosystem, and the development of smart logistics.

The government has also allocated Sh5.74 billion in the current financial year for construction of the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, a digital university domiciled within the Konza Technopolis.

The university will train and produce graduates of science, technology and innovation as part of the government's digital transformation agenda which places a premium on skills enhancement. Under the country's digital masterplan, Konza is also tasked with championing promotion of cloud services and data management, which are key ingredients in any robust digital realm.

The setting up of digital hubs in all the 1,450 wards across the country will bring massive benefits once fully implemented. These hubs will not only be instrumental in provision of digitised government services, they will enable innovative youth to tap the rapidly growing global e-commerce and digital economy for jobs and to boost their enterprises.