•PS Jerome Ochieng said Kenya welcomes partnerships that promote the country’s socio-economic transformation.
•Lee said Kenya is the continent’s leading country in digital transformation, pushing for a leap to become Africa’s ‘Silicon Savannah’ .
Kenyan and Korea have formalized a partnership aimed at fast-tracking development of smart city infrastructure at Konza Technopolis.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs CS Joe Mucheru said that the partnership provides a framework for the completion of three pivotal projects in Konza Technopolis.
The projects include; the development of the Smart City Master Plan covering 500 acres alongside the smart city framework for the remaining 5,000 acres; feasibility study on the Integrated Control Centre focusing on security operations which will be located in the modern police command center and establishment of a transportation network and smart mobility plans that meet urban functions and characteristics such as smart parking, digital signage and Electric Vehicle Service (EVS).
“The partnership’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked by Kenya’s Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs and Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance at a ceremony held in Nairobi,” said the CS.
While signing the MoU, Permanent Secretary Jerome Ochieng said that Kenya welcomes partnerships that promote the country’s socio-economic transformation.
“Under this EIPP, consultation based on Korea’s ICT infrastructure and urban development experience is expected to significantly contribute to formulating a smart city development strategy. Furthermore, the consultations will result in formulation of strategies that meet Konza Technopolis’ unique conditions and support its growth into an innovation hub for Kenya and the rest of Africa,” PS Ochieng’ said.
“The Kenya-Korea relationship has been on a constant growth curve with the two countries partnering on numerous projects previously,” Chong Hwa Lee, the Director of the Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance said.
Lee expressed his confidence in working with the Kenyan Government.
“Kenya is the continent’s leading country in digital transformation, pushing for a leap to become Africa’s ‘Silicon Savannah’ through Vision 2030 and other National Development Plans. I am therefore confident that the projects lined up under the EIPP will have a reverberating effect across the continent," Lee said.
“The Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) identified over 10 candidate projects to benefit from EIPP. We jointly reviewed and agreed on three key projects for the 2021/2022 EIPP, and lined-up candidate projects for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 programs."
EIPP is an extended cooperation grant model from the Korean government meant to foster mutually beneficial relationships between partner countries and Korea.
According Mucheru, EIPP maximizes business effectiveness by promoting policy advice for system improvement and implementation of the projects identified.
Further, the program supports two to three projects annually for a maximum of three years, focusing on establishing mid and long-term development strategies, improving laws and systems, planning infrastructure, and financing plans.
“The 2021/22 Kenya-Korea EIPP will be implemented by the Korea Trade-Investment & Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) on behalf of the Governments of Korea and Kenya respectively,” Mucheru said.