Towards a National ICT Strategy Mike Eldon Chairman, KEPSA ICT Board/KIF Governor, KEPSA

The story so far NIC 2020 – No mention of ICT at all. PRSP – Separate ICT SWG. Others ignore ICT. NDP – No one noticed any of it. ERS – Acknowledged lack of ICT focus, resources...

Kenya ICT Policy 2000None 2001PRSP 2002None 2003ERS (brief bullets) 2004At last, we hope… and an e-Gov strategy already Necessary, but not sufficient

Those wonderful Rwandese 2001: WSIS-compliant, ECA-enabled ICT policy and plan approved by cabinet Now implementing: learning from doing President as champion Rwanda IT Authority (RITA) Presidential ICT adviser Government retreat to harmonise ICT priorities and resources Dec 2004: All senior civil servants to be IT literate and connected… or ‘they won’t be there’

and… Full telcom liberalisation (VSAT*, VOIP) Universal service fund Unified utilities regulator All ICT products zero tax rated *Any ISP can have a VSAT international gateway

ie, they have… a policy a plan a champion a home resources … and they’re moving

Private sector and others - filling the vacuum CSK, TESPOK, ITSA, KIS, ISACA, CCOAK, KISE, E-Commerce Association NSE, KEPSA, ICT Board/KIF Not to mention: Civil society Research and academic institutions Development partners

KIF Vision and Mission Vision To achieve a high quality of life for Kenyans, and national competitiveness, by stimulating effective ICT policy, strategy and usage Mission To partner with other stakeholders in advising and influencing government to develop & implement an effective national ICT strategy

KIF’s horizontal partnerships Sister KEPSA Boards Civil Society Research & academic institutions Government Development partners International AITEC Inclusive

Vertical integration KEPSA KIF Constituent Associations Support & Escalation NOT duplication or competition

Bottom up strategy from sectors: the KIF/IDRC programme Outputs ICT committees for KEPSA Sector Boards ICT sector strategies Proof of concept project proposals Awareness and Empowerment Mobilisation and support Integration and Synergy Motivation and Enthusiasm

KIF also worries about... Cost-justified budget/MTEF proposals Infrastructure Standards and syllabi e-Commerce ICT export services Office equipment

Other KIF values Focus on reducing the digital divide, on wealth creation, on competitiveness... and hence on poverty reduction Learning by doing Results and impact

Relating to government Ups and downs Yearning for earlier, deeper more sustained engagement

Roles as defined in draft National ICT Policy Government – Enabling policies, conducive to private sector investment Development partners – Build capacity, in collaboration with GoK Civil society – Inform policy making (access, learning, poverty, governance)

…and Consumers – Participate in development, application, setting standards; ensuring consumer protection Regulator – Issue licences – Tariffs, interconnections – Standards – Frequency management; numbering;.ke domain

… and the private sector Investors, operators, service providers – Develop an efficient ICT sector – Commercial integrity – Strong corporate governance – High quality standards – Participate in provision of universal access Stern parent - Naughty child

Bottom line Government: makes policy Operators: operate!

What about Public Private Partnerships??? Parent - Child to Adult - Adult

The way ahead ICT Sector Working Group Ministerial e-Government Committees National Economic and Social Council, & Sector Economic and Social Councils National ICT Advisory Council… or ‘Presidential Commission on Information Society and Development’ Where does the private sector fit in?

Composition of proposed Presidential Commission 11 Permanent Secretaries CEOs of major ICT companies NGO representatives Other relevant individuals KEPSA / KIF / Professional Associations? Public / Private proportion? Chair?

Current policy issues Properly define economic impact of ICT Next stage of telcom/Internet liberalisation e-Commerce masterplan/legislation e-Government Human resource development – work force of today – work force of tomorrow

From policy to strategy Policy: Vision, principles and guidelines Strategy: Implementation plan - who’s got to do what by when; benefits and cost

Strategy priorities National champion; e-envoy High-level, one-stop government home Human and financial resources Legislation and regulation Liberalisation and privatisation Proof of concept projects

Operationalising strategy Mobilising/integrating the partners Think tank for issue management Project facilitation Performance management (M&E) Strategy reviews/updates Capacity building Resource mobilisation

ICT - still a minority sport We need all the help we can get