Kenya is targeting to have internet penetration reach 100% in 5 years time. According to the Kenya ICT board, to make the Kenya the continents technology hub, internet access infrastructure must be developed and users access reliable fast internet. The board’s chairman Paul Kukubo says all Kenyans should be connected to fast reliable internet to realize this dream.
The set target means that Kenya has just 5 years to increase its Internet penetration from the 28% estimated by Internet statistics website Internetstatistics.com , ranking Kenya fourth in internet usage in Africa.
Kukubo, who was speaking at the third Huawei Broader Way Forum, says the five-year master plan targets on robust connection in the countryside, with the ministry ready to embark on increasing the necessary infrastructure.
Job creation
Kukubo anticipates that by 2015, Kenya will have a market size of between $1.5 billion (KES 127.5 billion) and $2 billion (KES 170 billion), with over 500 ICT companies employing about 50,000 people.
Technology site humanipo.com states that the government foresees that most Kenyans will access Internet, mostly through mobile devices, saying there is a need for more people to have computers to share the net. That is the reason the ICT Board is running the one million laptop campaign.
Speaking at the same function, Huawei’s regional president in East and South Africa Li Dafeng said Internet access is the only way to bridge the digital divide existing between Africa and the rest of the world.
Citing a study by the World Bank, he said growth in broadband penetration has shown similar increase in GDP. A related study by the European Union shows that broadband will employ an extra 2 million jobs and an approximated 636 million Euros in GDP.