Within 2009/2010 the three projects which have connected East Africa to the rest of the world landed at Mombasa, Kenya. Will East Africa experience an IT revolution ?

Some information about the connectivity projects:

EASSY, TEAMS and SEACOM.

The EASSy cable is a fully integrated multi-technology network. It is an undersea fiber optic cable that will link the countries of East Africa to the rest of the world. http://www.eassy.org/

The ship laying The East Africa Submarine System docked at the port of Mombasa beginning of June 2009, providing yet another glimmer of hope, two months after the ship laying the SEACOM cable docked.

TEAMS (The East African Marine System) is an initiative spearheaded by the government of Kenya to link the country to the rest of the world through a submarine fibre optic cable. It was first proposed as an alternative to EASSy, the East African Submarine Cable System. Although the Kenyan government has decided to pursue their own fibre optic cable, they are still committed to EASSy.

“The long-awaited East African Marine System (TEAMS) fibre optic
undersea cable, expected to cut telecommunications costs across the
continent has officially been launched in Kenya.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEAMS_%28cable_system%29

SEACOM is an optical fiber submarine communications cable linking South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India and Europe. The cable has been going live end of July 2009.

You will find more at: http://www.seacom.mu/index2.asp

Kenya is the regional hub and financial capital of the East and Central Africa region. Kenya’s competitiveness as an ICT investment destination is supported by various factors some of which are mentioned below:

1.       Regulatory framework
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) was created as a one-stop body for registration and facilitation.

2.       Availability of a well-trained English-speaking labour force
IT education was introduced in 1998. ICT and computer learning is currently offered at secondary school level, universities and tertiary institutions in the country.

3.       Kenya’s relation with the global information infrastructure
Kenya is an active member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and other ICT standards.

4.       Diversified experience
Kenyans are involved in virtually all areas of ICT (soft- and hardware, telecommunications and internet services).

5.       Local market availability

6.       Access to the regional market
Kenya is a member of regional trading bodies such as COMESA, African Union and the East African community.

7.       Investor friendly arrangements
Taxation of ICT services are reduced.

8.       Investment insurance
Kenya is a member of MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency), ATIA (African Trade Insurance Agency) and ICSD (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes).

9.       Strategic location
Kenya gives access the East and Central African market by road, sea and air.

 (List taken from the source of Kenya’s information and communications technology sector 2005, see link no 2)
 

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