Kenya in Geneva for the World Telecommunications meeting
By Dickson Odhiambo
July 12, 2023
Kenya in Geneva for the World Telecommunications
meeting
The Kenyan Government has been fully
represented in the ongoing World Telecommunications Meeting in Geneva
Switzerland.
The Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the
Digital Economy Eliud Owalo, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, as the head of
Kenya’s delegation to the 2023 International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Council meeting.
ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations, established
in 1865, to coordinate global operation of telecommunications networks and
services, and to advance the development of world communications technology, as
an impartial, international organization.
Within ITU, governments and the private sector are expected
to work together for individual national good and collective global
benefit.
Key areas of concern include global agreements on the
functioning and regulation of the radio communications sector (ITU-R), also
known as (BR); standardization of the telecommunications sector (ITU-T), also
known as (TSB); and regulation of telecommunications development sector
(ITU-D), also known as (BDT).
Kenya is one of the elected 40 ITU council member states in the
193-members states parties’ entity; not to mention membership by private
companies, academia, international and regional organizations.
On Monday 10 July, the CS attended a day-long closed-door
meeting of fellow global ministers in charge of ICT with the ITU
Secretary-General, Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin; as well as council
members.
The following day on Tuesday Owalo issued a high level
panel statement on behalf of the Kenya Government, on meaningful universal
digital connectivity and access.
He is also scheduled to meet specific country delegations
that are of special interest to Kenya and explore with them spaces and
possibilities for symbiotic cooperation.
Owalo says Sustainable and
meaningful universal access to digital services is at the core of Kenya‘s Digital
Transformation Agenda.
“Today, 98% of our
population has access to cellular mobile and broadband services. About 1.7
million are not covered. Furthermore, while our network is ahead of most of our
neighbours, 45% of our people still lack access to smart devices. This is a
challenge we must solve urgently, for meaningful universal digital
transformation. Accordingly, we are rolling out programs that address these
concerns,” Owalo says.
He says already the Kenyan Government has
begun rolling out an extra 100,000 Km of fibre optic cable, to be complete by
2027 as they seek to digitalise all Government services by the end of this
year.
“We are setting up at least two (2)
world-class data centres; and we are lowering the cost of calls and data
bundles,” Owalo adds.
He says the Government of Kenya is also
rolling out 25,000 public WI-FI hotspots, to be complete by 2027.
“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. Related
to all these, the Kenya Government is equipping the youth with digital skills
for digitally enabled jobs and linking them to jobs, as well as sensitizing
everyone on the digital revolution,” the Kenya Cabinet Secretary in charge of
ICT and digital economy says.
He says inclusivity is
also challenged by low access to smart digital devices, adding that the
Government is working with the private sector to 3 produce affordable smart
devices, to cost an average of 40 USD, to be on the market by 31 December this
year.
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