USA Will Spur Digital Transformation of Kenyan Economy
#Digitalization is seen as a way for Kenya — and Africa in general — to catch up and benefit from advances in digital technologies such as generative #AI, #FinTech and #mPayment. In that context, it is worth recalling that Kenya was a global pioneer in mobile payments with mPesa.
At the recent #AmCham East Africa Business Summit, USTDA announced a USD 1.3 million funding for a feasibility study for CSquared to implement a regional fiber optic backbone from the East Africa Coast to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the same time, USTDA granted USD 1.2 million to Wilken Group to accelerate fiber optic deployment in support of the #5G high-speed mobile network covering the seaport city of Mombasa to Malaba.
Microsoft will reinforce its collaboration with the Government of Kenya to improve internet coverage and speed across Kenya. The project will focus on last mile access to broadband and will eventually benefit some 50 million subscribers in East Africa.
In addition, Microsoft and G42 will partner to open the first green data center in Africa. The servers will run on Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform and will be powered by geothermal power which is readily available in Kenya.
The data centre will necessitate an investment of USD one billion and will require two years to implement. The data center in Kenya is geared towards offering cloud services for clients in the East Africa region.
“The US has ‘Silicon Valley’ and Kenya has ‘Silicon Savannah’.”
US President Joe Biden
Google will set up a #Cybersecurity Operations Platform in Kenya to enhance the security of #eGov services of Kenya. Similarly, Microsoft will offer free online certifications to train Kenyans so that they can be better prepared to face cyber threats. In April 2024, Cisco and the University of Nairobi launched its Cybersecurity Training and Experience Center, a first on the African continent.
US and Kenya have also agreed to establish a Strategic Dialogue on #AI with a view to harness technology in a safe, secure and trustworthy manner in order to spur economic growth.