IBM lab registers Kenya for tough investment challenge

• By getting the lab, Kenya joins countries like Australia, Brazil, China, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, which host the computer giant’s other research units.
• IBM Research – Africa will conduct basic and applied research in areas including the use of modern technology to improve government efficiency, root out corruption, and manage city services such as water utilities and traffic control.
• The lab will serve Africa as a whole, and house IBM researchers alongside Kenyan and other African talent, selected and nurtured through a Resident Science Programme. The ease of doing business in Kenya, combined with a strong support for innovation, were key factors in the decision, an IBM spokeswoman told me. But some aspiring ICT leaders in Africa are not so happy with IBM’s choice.
• So while this is Kenya’s time to bask in the sun, policymakers in Nigeria, Rwanda, and other technology-keen African countries can take heart from the fact that the African race for private sector R&D investments is not over. It has only just begun.

Nordling, a journalist, is based in Cape Town, South Africa