East African Business Week (Kampala)
Cedric Lumiti
5 May 2008
The Kenya government says it will increase funding to the Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector in efforts to realise the Digital Village Programme that aims to boost employment in the country.
The sector has already applied to the treasury to disburse funds to supplement the Ksh610 million ($10 million) already pledged by the World Bank to support growth of digital villages across the country.
Information permanent Secretary Dr. Bitange Ndemo told an ICT conference in Nairobi that the sect had been ear marked as one of the driving sectors for the realisation of the ambitious development blueprint, the Vision 2030.
Under the Digital Villages project the government will be looking at rolling out computer and other ICT facilities in the rural areas in efforts to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural dwellers.
"The realisation of the digital villages will see millions of youths directly employed. Consequently, the poverty levels in the country will reduce apart from narrowing the glaring digital divide," said Dr. Ndemo.
Already private sector stakeholders in the information and communication industry are positioning themselves in readiness for the kick off of the digital villages' project in what promises to be a rush for the facilities.
The government will through incentives facilitate investment in the sector and provide seed capital to entrepreneurs interested in investing in the projects expected to be in place by this July.
The three-day ICT conference held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) attracted a host of exhibitors and stakeholders with most of them applying for investment in the projects.
The project is further expected to be a big sale with the completion of the two sub-marine cables.
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