SEACOM, Cisco partnership sets up technology hub in Mombasa
Mr Joseph Muriithi, the SEACOM Managing Director for Kenya. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA
SEACOM, Cisco Systems and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) have partnered to create a technology hub in Mombasa.
The hub, dubbed SwahiliPOT, is located on land adjacent to Fort Jesus and targets oftware developers from universities based in the costal town.
Under the agreement, MNK has donated office space, SEACOM is providing 40Mb of its high-speed Internet service for free while Cisco is providing computing hardware.
Despite being a landing station to four undersea fibre optic cables — Seacom, TEAMs, Eassy and Lion — Mombasa town has no technology hub where startups can grow their ideas.
At the moment Nairobi houses most IT hubs including iHub, iLab Africa, mLab, and NaiLab with some of the more than 3,000 software developers having developed both mobile and personal computer-based software applications which are changing lives across the continent.
The applications are designed to help users solve their day to day problems, ranging from linking farmers with produce buyers to monitoring if a patient is taking a prescribed drug to locating a restaurant.
“Mombasa has been a pivotal part of SEACOM’s business since we established a point of presence here,” said SEACOM Managing Director for Kenya Joseph Muriithi.
“We wanted to give back to the local community by providing a service where they can experience broadband technology and utilise it to develop business ideas and other income generating projects.”
SEACOM will also provide hosting services to the hardware which is being provided by Cisco who were brought on board by the ICT Authority.
The American technology company will also boost the hub by landscaping the area and providing Wi-Fi equipment.
“We value the input of a reputable organisation such as Cisco who are major players in the technology space.
‘‘Their gesture is a sign of confidence in Kenya’s position as the beacon of technology in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Mr Muriithi.
Innovations from the Nairobi based hubs are turning out to be Kenya’s latest magnet that is attracting global firms such as Nokia, Samsung, RIM as well as venture capitalists.
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