CS Owalo officially launches ICT week

Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo officially launched  ICT week on Wednesday. 

The launch took place on Wednesday at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi and will be marked from 17-18 May.  

Owalo said ICT week is an annual event to foster conversations on catalysing the sector at the core of Kenya’s socio-economic development.

"The forum really speaks to the need to continually reflect on how best to tap into the sector's immense potential," the CS said. 

He said the theme of the ICT week is Digital Inclusion: Enhancing Access and Usage of ICTs for All.

He said the theme speaks to the ICT collective ambition of ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transformation journey.

"Indeed, the Government recognizes the ICT sector as a cog in our economic engine and has identified priorities through the Government Digital Transformation Agenda," he said. 

Through the agenda, Owalo said the Ministry seeks to digitise at least 80 per cent of government services in five years. 

"We will also support last-mile fibre connectivity through the deployment of 100,000 kilometres of fibre, connect 25,000 WI-FI hotspots across the country and put ICT hubs in each of the 1, 450 Wards in the country," Owalo said. 

The CS said they will achieve their agenda through public-private partnerships. 

He said so far, the journey to 100,000 km of fibre has begun with the Sh5 billion drawn from the Universal Service Fund (USF).

Owalo said in enhancing service delivery, he improved the digitisation of public services.

"We have digitised over 4,000 services, with a target of at least 5,000 by the end of June this year," he said. 

Owalo said the Ministry is determined to ensure the accessibility to ICT services nationwide.

"With those remarks, I am pleased to declare the 2023 ICT Week officially opened. I wish you all very productive deliberations for these two days as we aspire to move the ICT sector forward," he said.