• The CS said the ministry is making good progress in rolling out an extra 100,000 km of fibre optic cable
• This would ensure no part of the country is left out of the coordinates and reach of the national optic fibre backbone
The government will ride on opportunities offered by the digital economy to improve service delivery and create jobs, ICT CS Eliud Owalo has said.
Speaking in Kisumu on Friday, he said the world is now riding on the wheels of the digital technology that is now creating a digital economy.
“We are in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, the Internet of Things and many other tech platforms from which our people must tap,” Owalo said.
“Our professionals are expected, once again, to hold our collective hand and lead us.”
The CS made the remarks at Ciala Resort during the unveiling of the Professional Association of Nyanza Women.
“I urge the people of this region to take advantage of the available opportunities for both personal advancement and the advancement of the region,” he said.
The CS said the ministry is making good progress in rolling out an extra 100,000 km of fibre optic cable so that no part of the country is left out of the coordinates and reach of the national optic fibre backbone.
“We expect this assignment to be complete by 2027. Besides, we have made wonderful progress in digitising government records and digitalising government services,” he said.
“We have identified upwards of 19,000 government services for digitalisation by the end of this year. So far, we have covered more than 15,000 of these.”
Owalo said the ministry is setting up at least two world-class data centres, as well as lowering the cost of calls and data bundles.
“The government is also steadily rolling out 25,000 public WiFi hotspots, once again to be complete by 2027,” he said.
“Parallel to this, we are setting up 1,450 digital village digital hubs across the country, for ease of access to digitally enabled services and commercial opportunities.”
Owalo said the state is also equipping the youth with digital skills for digitally enabled jobs and linking them to jobs, as well as sensitising everyone on the digital revolution.
The Professional Association of Nyanza Women is a new outfit seeking to set women free from poverty and enhance sustainable economic development in the Nyanza region.
It was formed earlier in the year with the overarching objective of galvanising Nyanza women professionals for sustainable economic development.
The focus of the association is on investing in sustainable development for future generations.
Present during the launch were US Ambassador Meg Whitman, Labour CS Florence Bore and Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss.
More than 200 delegates attended the launch, mostly women professionals from the four counties of Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay and Siaya.