EACO seeks to establish broadband capacity to stimulate economic development

Last Updated 13 years ago by Kenya Engineer

The fourth day of the 20th EACO Congress & Exhibition congress bringing together postal, telecommunications, broadcasters and ICT regulatory bodies saw a renewed call for fast-tracking  the harmonization of key initiatives in pursuit of a single regional ICT market.

Among the key things listed as critical for East Africa’s growth were investment in the development of relevant local content in local languages, transition to digital TV broadcasting and that of establishing cyber security mechanisms. “The creation of local content, presents opportunities for our people to leverage on ICTs for efficient production in their various activities; thus participating in wealth creation and poverty alleviation” Said Dr. Fred Matiang’i – Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT).

Although the region is home to some remarkable innovative applications such as those, linking farmers to markets, sources of farm inputs and expertise; with additional ones being under production, the content needs to be available in local languages to enhance demand for ICT and boost penetration. “With the integration of ICT into everyday life, technology has since earned elevation to a basic human right status, becoming one of the key determinants of whether individuals and communities are information-rich or information-poor.

There almost exists a clear co-relation between information access and extreme poverty, evidently linked to poverty in Africa. “Added Dr.Matiang’i “Bridging the digital divide, therefore, is crucial to our success in the fight against disease, ignorance and poverty in the region” He added The EACO has helped regional Governments develop enabling policy and regulatory interventions to spur ICT development owing to a strong partnership between the public and private sector. This is continually being looked upon to help deliver improved ICT services in a secure environment.

“Uptake in ICT has stimulated the uptake of services, as is evident in the Kenyan government adoption of E-government service delivery in various ministries like that of Education and the immigration & Registration of Persons. It is not done yet and we still have great potential of connecting all parts of the country on the backdrop of a devolved government” Added Mr. Francis Wangusi – Director General, CCK Currently, fiber subscribers stand at 54,400, while satellite services users’ stand at 684, with 99 percent of the total internet subscriptions being from mobile data subscription; leading to an unprecedented growth of internet in Kenya. 

“To derive the benefits that come with being on-line, governments in the region also need to intensify efforts towards improving the overall security within the communications environment, including cyber-security. This will not only enhance e-commerce and mobile transactions but also create the confidence to grow inter-country transactions”, Added Mr. Wangusi 

Already most governments, Kenya included, are at various stages of setting up their Computer Incidence Response Teams (CIRTs) with a number of them having implemented SIM card registration as a step to enhancing security and curbing mobile phone related fraud.

The congress creates a linkage between the decisions and resolutions that EACO members make behind closed doors and tangible in policy adoption and implementation. Such forums are crucial in identifying key areas of intervention in order to realize the dream on universal access to communications services.

The EACO Congress will be officially opened by Kenya’s Deputy President Hon.William Ruto on Friday. Which also marks the end of the EACO Exhibition and Private sector member organizations with a Congress sitting of the Region’s regulatory Authority heads to conclude on that which will inform and guide the harmonization process of regional ICT policies.

The Regulatory agencies present, include ACRT of Burundi, RURA of Rwanda, TCRA of Tanzania, UCC of Uganda and the CCK.