Partner Content

Kenya’s ICT industry captains converge in Kwale for Connected Summit 2023

connect

Delegates at the Connected Summit 2023 on April 3. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG

By Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and The Digital Economy; and Sylvanus Maritim, Chairman, ICT Authority Board of Directors

Connected Summit is Kenya’s premier high-level annual ICT forum that brings global, regional and local ICT thought leaders, policy makers, business executives, investors, and innovators under one roof for very strategic industry conversations.

This year’s theme – "Digital Economy: Endless Opportunities Shaping Our Future" – aligns with the country’s economic Blueprint and the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto, which envision Kenya as a leading regional economy as well as a global ICT and knowledge hub. It is in line with the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the Kenya National Digital Masterplan (2022-2032).

The Summit comes as a time when the Government has put ICT at the core of public service delivery. It goes without saying that we expect outcomes that will support the delivery of the Government of Kenya’s ICT priorities, such as the delivery of the Digital Super Highway.

Connected Summit is a regional gathering, and we thank delegates from our sister countries in the region. As we say in Kenya, Karibuni sana.

Delegates from all the 47 counties in Kenya are also attending, to take part in the County Forum. This is very important as we seek to deepen the collaboration between the National Government and county governments under the umbrella of the Council of Governors.

We acknowledge all the delegates taking part in the Women in Tech Forum. This is very significant and coming at a time when the Government of Kenya is very deliberate about increasing the number of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We celebrate all women and girls who have overcome so many hurdles and continue to make their mark in the ICT innovation, investment and practitioners’ space.

We envision a paperless Government that will leverage ICT in ensuring every citizen can access Government services from the comfort of their homes and affordably. Towards this, the ICT Authority is currently implementing the Government’s ICT pillars on Infrastructure, Digital Services, Digital Skills, and Innovation and Enterprise.

As we go along, the Connected Summit remains a unique forum that facilitates exchange of ideas on the growth and development of the country’s ICT sector, which has many actors and players.

The essence of the Summit is to rally stakeholders to sit around the table and freely share knowledge and experiences in a public-private partnership framework and understanding. This in itself stimulates the generation of the much-needed ideas and knowledge to take Kenya’s digital economy to the next level.

The ICT Authority Board is committed to championing collaborations with key stakeholders and to ensuring a conducive environment for increased investments and rapid growth of the ICT sector.

We look forward to fruitful outcomes from the Connected Summit 2023.

Find more information here and here.