With an annual growth rate of 23% exceeding other sectors, Kenya’s ICT sector promises to be a significant contributor to the country’s GDP, but the country’s enterprises need to balance innovation with data protection and safeguard against potential threats, explains Atef Djmoui at Extreme Networks.
Africa has always been brimming with potential, and nowhere more so than Kenya, one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. Kenya’s plans for its future are based on a foundation of technology and innovation, particularly establishing a robust digital infrastructure.
Under the Kenya Master Digitalisation Plan, the government aims to lay out over 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable, install twenty-five thousand hotspots in key business centres, move government operations to the cloud, and accelerate the development of the Konza Technopolis, a smart city project.
Connectivity driven growth has already had an impact on the country’s Information Communication Technology, ICT sector. With an annual growth rate of 23%, exceeding other sectors, the Kenya ICT sector promises to be a significant contributor to the country’s GDP and is expected to reach 9.24% by 2025.
One of the key catalysts driving this growth is the adoption of cloud services. According to Research ICT Africa, various sectors, such as insurance, fintech, education, and retail, are leveraging cloud storage and applications to enhance services and expand their reach.
However, we are still seeing many sectors with higher data sensitivity like finance and healthcare express concerns over data privacy and security, slowing the broad adoption of cloud infrastructure.
To address these issues, relevant Kenyan bodies need to create frameworks that balance innovation with data protection and safeguard against potential threats. In addition, corporations and industries need to implement the tools and technologies that keep sensitive information well-protected within internal networks.
The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence also promises to revolutionise business operations, offering enterprises in Kenya newfound efficiencies. AI is expected to impact Kenyan industries by automating tasks, delivering proactive recommendations and predictive analytics based on data trends, and allowing self-learning and correction for systems in healthcare, finance, and logistics.
Again, the key to fully harnessing the potential of AI is a strong digital network that can help capture, process and transmit the huge amounts of data needed to run AI-driven solution and applications
This technological advancement, coupled with a growing emphasis on digital literacy as an estimated 50-55% of Kenyan jobs will rely on digital skills by 2030, underscores the urgent need for a robust network infrastructure capable of supporting and encouraging these innovations and new skill sets. Improved network performance will enable smarter, faster and more effective capture and analysis of data that AI tools need while also creating more job roles within the IT industry.
The significance of network infrastructure is further heightened by the growth of data centres across Africa. With demand for data centres projected to outstrip supply by 300% in the coming years, according to African Infrastructure Investment Managers, Kenya’s strategic position as East Africa’s largest economy makes it an attractive destination for data centres.
Take for example, the recent collaboration between Kenya and the UAE to build data centre projects, signalling the emergence of Kenya as a digital hub in the region.
The success of these endeavours hinges on the resilience and security of Kenya’s network infrastructure. As digital systems become increasingly intertwined with critical services such as government, healthcare, and finance, ensuring the reliability and security of network connections becomes paramount to success.
A resilient network infrastructure equipped with robust security features is essential to safeguard against cyber threats and maintain trust in digital services and transactions.
As Kenya explores smart city development, the country will need to explore expanding network connectivity and seamlessly integrating new technologies to enhance efficiency and productivity. By encouraging the adoption of cloud services and simplifying IT operations, Kenya can foster a thriving ecosystem of digital innovation.
The country is also making strides in this direction with government entities working to implement more digital strategies and initiatives. One such government department in Kenya is deploying country-wide network solutions to ensure wired and wireless connectivity for government offices across different counties. As a result, citizens and residents benefit from enhanced digital services, more interconnected government operations, and seamless communication.
Enterprises benefit from focusing on the network as well. A secure network foundation not only saves time and costs for IT teams but can even become a profit centre for companies. Today’s advances in network management and analytics tools mean that decision-makers have full visibility into their network and can identify pain-points and opportunities for growth.
The role of network infrastructure in enhancing Kenya’s digital economy cannot be overstated. From enabling widespread connectivity and supporting the adoption of cloud services and data centres to protecting against cyber threats and unlocking new growth avenues, robust network infrastructure will be the backbone of advancing Kenya’s digital journey.
