Unless you have landed from space, then you might have heard
about Konza techno- city, which will be located in Machakos, about 50 km from
the Nairobi
city centre. However, here are the ingredients to make the technology succeed.
But question is, are they there?
1. Right Talent.
Talent is abundant in Kenya, as there are many talented
Kenyan IT specialists and programmers. Kenyan Universities continue to churn
thousands of graduates, so, this talent will always be there.
2. Access to Capital.
Are there enough sources of capital to fund promising
ventures? This is where things go wrong. The
venture capital industry in Kenya is still very nascent, and even then, many are still reluctant to fund knowledge start-ups like internet, or software companies.
venture capital industry in Kenya is still very nascent, and even then, many are still reluctant to fund knowledge start-ups like internet, or software companies.
3. Favorable
ecosystem.
How much has the government moved to support the sector? How
many Kenyans can buy computers, or smartphones? How many Kenyans can access the
internet? How many Kenyans can make payments online? How trustworthy are the
online means of payment that will enable e-commerce to take place? In the first
place, how many Kenyans have access to electricity that will enable them power
the phones and computers continuously? How many Kenyans have basic literacy?
How many Kenyans are computer literate, or have basic IT skills? These are
things which are beyond the control of ordinary tech entrepreneurs in Kenya, and which might make it hard to achieve
the much desired Konza project, or even a Silicon Valley
style evolution. However, innovations centered around the mobile phones have a
promising future.
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