Kenya approves 'digital superhighway' to boost Internet connectivity
2 Min Read
Kenya approves the 'digital superhighway' project which will be completed by 2027 and is expected to create at least 1.5 to 2 million jobs.
-
A pedestrian walks past an internet cafe in the low-income Kiberia neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021 (AP)
Kenya has authorized the implementation of the 'digital superhighway' project which paves the way for creating 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots, local media has reported.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), will be the one implementing the project which was an election pledge of the ruling Kenya Kwanza Party and includes laying an additional 100,000km of the national fiber-optic network.
Digital hubs will be set up in each district to provide e-government and e-commerce services and allow the Kenyan people to participate in economic development.
“The revolutionary project seeks to strengthen our nation’s ICT backbone by increasing the fiber network coverage across the country, hence reducing the cost of internet connectivity,” a government statement read, as cited by the media.
ICT Secretary Eliud Owalo said the hotspots mainly target local businesses and underserved communities, and their number will significantly increase by the end of 2023, adding that 17 hotspots have been set up in the capital Nairobi and others in the towns of Ahero, Nyeri, and Bondo.
The project is scheduled to be completed by 2027 and is expected to create at least 1.5 to 2 million jobs, according to Owalo.
More than 1,200 services are already available at the e-Citizen platform, an official portal of the government designated for the delivery of state services via the internet, the government announced, and 5,000 more are expected to be implemented over the next six months. According to Ruto, the automation of services is part of the "new paradigm" in its delivery.
The initiative is being implemented as part of the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Program and supported by the World Bank's Digital Economy Moonshot Project.
