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Kenya's plan for free Wi-Fi will benefit economy

Kenya , 14 Oct 2016

Kenya's plan for free Wi-Fi will benefit economy

In July, the Kenyan government announced that they will roll out free Wi-Fi in all the 290 constituencies to enable more people to access government services and to stimulate innovation nationally.

"This project will transform Kenya and bring the digital dream to a reality," Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Joe Mucheru announced. ''It will bring the youth out of poverty by creating jobs."

By October this year the ministry said they were still on track to install four free Wi-Fi areas in all constituencies in conjunction with Avante International Technology and Telkom Kenya.

"In 2015, IDC predicted that public Wi-Fi deployments across the continent would increase as African governments strive to reduce the digital divide," Leonard Kore, Senior Research Analyst, Telecom and Networking, Africa at International Data Corporation (IDC) East Africa said in a statement to ITWeb Africa.

"A number of countries are deploying free Wi-Fi networks for citizens in key cities, including Tshwane, Johannesburg, and Cape Town (South Africa); Kigali (Rwanda); and Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna (Nigeria)."

This is not the first free Wi-Fi initiative in the country. Liquid Telecom had pioneered the idea with the Nakuru county government to offer free Wi-Fi in a 10km radius from the central business district in 2015. It followed up with Kiambu County this year.

The cost for the installation will be a hybrid mix from the government and the constituency development fund. The county governments will provide funds for the hardware infrastructure while the national government will pay for the monthly subscription. The Kenyan government said it will also pay for the cost for innovation hubs that would want to access the internet service.

Vision 2030 plans

Kore agrees with the government's plan of pushing innovation as a key to create employment. "The World Bank estimates that for every 10% increase in broadband penetration, a country's gross domestic product grows 1.28%. The initiative is also expected to be a stepping stone in the Kenya Vision 2030 ICT plans to transform the country into a knowledge-based economy."

But establishing free Wi-Fi hotspots will not automatically generate the desired effect, Kore observed. He called on the governments to consider every region individually, since they differ in economic empowerment, population density and access to devices.

This in turn should make research, monitoring and evaluation precedence to the installation of the hotspot areas. This will ensure that the hotspots are used to their full potential and there is no wastage of resources.

Kore also said that opportunities for local content will ensure that there are job channels for the youth.

An Internet Society report Promoting Content in Africa said that more people would engage online if there is relevant local content, especially in content in local languages.

Kore said, "It can also partner with relevant stakeholders to provide innovative add-ons to the free internet access; for example, it can partner with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to disseminate free content and trainings on the best agricultural practices to farmers nationwide."

The government project has been piloted in Limuru area and is now ready for the countrywide launch in December this year, according to the ministry.

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