Kwale to host 2023 Regional ICT Summit

The Connected Kenya Summit 2023 will take place from 2^nd -5^th April 2023.

This year’s conference has themed The Digital Economy: Endless opportunities shaping the future will be hosted by the ICT Authority in collaboration with key players in the ICT sector.

This high-level Tech thoughtleadership Summit seeks to:

(a) review progress and achievements in the sector

(b) share knowledge, case studies, best practice and lessons learnt based on experiences by ICT practitioners

(c) develop and recommend policy, regulatory and operational interventions and (d) provide a platform for meaningful networking that will result in fruitful relationships that contribute to economic development.

It is noteworthy that Connected Summit comes at a time when Kenya has positioned itself into an e-Commerce and digital services hub not only in the region, but Africa.

The Government of Kenya has continued to build on this to address the digital divide challenge through the provision of accessible and affordable broadband connectivity to all citizens so that they can participate in the digital economy.

Some of the outcomes of previous Connected Summits are: Huduma Secretariat and Presidential Digital Talent Programme (Digitalent) through which the government in collaboration with the private sector, is building the country’s digital skills and a digital workforce.

There are other outcomes of Connected Kenya Summit such as the Huduma Centre Initiative and the e-citizen platform that is being used to deliver e-government services.

It is hoped that this Year’s Connected Summit will have outcomes that will define how ICT will continue to enable Kenya realise the objectives of the Government’s Digital Transformation Agenda, in line with Vision 2030 as well as the Kenya National Digital Master Plan (2022-32). The current Government of Kenya ICT priorities are: Digitization of Government Services, Digitalization ,the delivery of the Digital Super Highway and building a digitally skilled workforce.

Connected Kenya Summit was first held in 2009. Since then, it has continued to bring together industry players from the Private, Public Sector and Academia brings ICT thought leaders and experts under one roof.

The Summit offers a platform where the industry players, government, innovators and other stakeholders mingle freely, share and exchange ideas on how ICT can be leveraged to address challenges facing Kenyans both at national and personal level.

The journey and essence of Connected Kenya Summit has been one of collaboration and partnerships to provide ICT solutions, to national issues enhance this sector’s role in the delivery of the country’s economic agenda.

The inaugural theme in 2009, for example, were “Great minds come together”. In 2010: “Shared services to drive down cost to citizen; 2011 innovating for the citizen; 2012 Knowledge & beyond; 2013, County Citizen Served; 2014 breaking the barriers and in 2015 “Strength in our networks; in 2016 the theme was “Bridging the service gap” 2017, “Shaping the future”. In 2018, the theme was:” Pioneering technology, preserving our heritage” while in 2022: Accelerating digital Transformation.

It is also noteworthy that Kenya is already a regional ICT hub and developing into a globally competitive digital economy. This can be confirmed by the mobile innovations such as Mpesa, growth in investment in broadband infrastructure and the uptake of emerging technology such as blockchain. These developments provide additional economic interactions, raise new frontiers, invite questions and seek to invite novel responses from the leaders, legislators, policy makers, regulators and industry players.

Further, the past Connected Summits have seen the birth of key public service innovations namely: Huduma, e- citizen, the Presidential Digital Talent Programme as well as the National ICT Master Plan of 2017. It is therefore anticipated that this year’s forum will add to this bucket of innovations that will support the delivery of the Digital Super Highway.

The ICT Authority is therefore encouraging all ICT sector players to be present at the summit and contribute to the sharing of knowledge and so arrive at solutions on how best we can complete Kenya’s journey to being a knowledge economy and regional ICT Hub.

This year’s forum will take place in Kwale County with over 1000 delegates, local and international, expected to attend. The greatest meeting of ICT minds ever in the East African region who will take part in three days of intensive engagements on Government of Kenya Digital agenda, recently outlined by HE William Ruto.There will also be conversations around emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, big data and Artificial Intelligence, among others.