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Tag: ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo

  • Kenya and UAE sign ICT investment cooperation MoU

    Kenya and UAE sign ICT investment cooperation MoU

    ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo and H.E. Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment of the United Arab Emirates, officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Abu Dhabi.

    The MOU signed Thursday marks a significant milestone, outlining a comprehensive framework for investment co-operation in digitalization and technology between the two nations.

    Under the MOU, both parties commit to fostering closer ties, while exploring ICT investment partnerships and advancing digital infrastructure projects. Kenya’s digital economy has witnessed rapid expansion, propelled by a robust ICT sector.

    During the signing ceremony, CS Owalo stated, “This partnership between our nations is a game-changer, paving the way for significant ICT investment in Kenya’s data centre infrastructure. It will create new job opportunities and empower Kenyan citizens with the latest digital tools.”

    The signing of the MOU lays the foundation for the development of state-of-the-art data centres, with the potential to significantly enhance Kenya’s digital infrastructure capacity and resilience.

    These data centres, capable of serving millions of users, are fundamental to shaping Kenya’s digital future. However, the co-operation extends to the field of Artificial Intelligence and large Language Models.

    This MOU is in line with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which has prioritized the Digital Superhighway and Creative Economy, with a specific focus on equipping the youth with digital skills for digitally-enabled jobs and digital entrepreneurship.

    His Excellency Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment of the UAE, emphasized the remarkable opportunities presented by closer co-operation between the two nations.

    He stated, “A closer partnership between our two nations harbours remarkable opportunities in numerous fields that can contribute to the continued strengthening and advancement of our economies. Through targeted investments in digital infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence, this Investment Memorandum is set to accelerate the development of a sector that has the potential to become a growth driver for other industries, setting out a vision for the future defined by prosperity and progress.”

  • Newsline: World Coin contravened data laws of Kenya, says CS Kithure Kindiki and CS Eliud Owalo

    Newsline: World Coin contravened data laws of Kenya, says CS Kithure Kindiki and CS Eliud Owalo

    The World Coin company contravened data protection act among other laws and soon culprits will be held responsible according the CS for Interior Kithure Kindiki and CS ICT Eliud Owalo.

    The duo while appearing before the national assembly also admitted that the government is not aware of the objective of the data collection exercise or the source of monies that were being paid to Kenyans who had agreed to have their eyes scanned.

  • State rolls out laboratories to scale up digital literacy

    State rolls out laboratories to scale up digital literacy

    The Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy has embarked on the establishment of laboratories across the country to scale up digital literacy.

    ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo said the initiative targets to enhance digital literacy and skills amongst the youth and members of the public as the government moves to accelerate access to the internet through the digital superhighway project.

    A total of 23, 000 devices, he said are set to be installed in schools, universities, Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions, Vocational Training Centers (VTC), and village ICT hubs to facilitate the training.

    The digital literacy programme, he said, was critical for the government to achieve its bottom-up economic transformation agenda adding that through the laboratories, the youth and other segments of the population at the bottom of the pyramid were set to benefit.

    “We want our youth and the public at large to uptake digital skills so that they are relevant in the current operating environment,” he said.

    Speaking during the launch of a digital laboratory at Maseno School in Kisumu County, Owalo said the move was in tandem with the government’s agenda to digitize services.

    So far, he said over 6, 000 services have been digitized with additional services set to be uploaded on the E-citizen platform before the end of the year.

    “As we do this we must correspondingly facilitate digital literacy amongst our youth and the Kenyan public and public sector officials to facilitate optimal uptake of the digital infrastructure we are putting in place,” he said.

    The CS asked traders at the bottom of the pyramid to take advantage of the digital laboratories and training and leverage of the free public Wi-Fi being installed at various markets and bus parks across the country to venture into e-commerce.

    “We are setting up a total of 25, 000 free public Wi-Fi hotspots spread equally across the country targeting segments of the society operating at the bottom of the pyramid,” he said.

    He disclosed the Government’s plan of rolling out a national addressing system and digital identification cards to make e-commerce a reality.

    Affordable locally assembled smart mobile phones, he added, were set to be launched in August to ensure that as many Kenyans as possible make use of the digital infrastructure installed by the government.

    The devices to retail at Ksh 5, 600, he added will scale up consumption of online government services and online work.

    The government, he said, has opened talks with global digital technology giants to link them with Kenyan youths for opportunities to work online.

    Reporting by KNA