No longer content to be known solely for wildlife safaris and savory coffee, Kenyan officials have begun marketing the east African nation as a destination for companies looking to outsource labor.
Following India's lead, Kenya, where two-thirds of the 32 million population live below the poverty line, is pinning its hopes for economic recovery on international companies looking for affordable, efficient employees.
The country's ministry of information and technology has begun an ambitious initiative to create 30,000 new jobs this year alone by establishing outsourcing incubators at three universities and several local information technology firms.
"So many educated university graduates are walking around the streets with no jobs," said the ministry's permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo. "This plan presents a real opportunity for anyone with a desire to work hard and earn money."
Fewer than 200 Kenyans are now working in outsourcing-related jobs, but officials see that number skyrocketing as companies realize the potential of the country's well-educated, English-speaking youth.
The program will provide labor for companies offshoring IT contracts and provide technical, managerial and entrepreneurial training for those enrolled in the three-month course.
After completion, participants could either subcontract work through the government or submit an original business plan eligible for small loans from the World Bank that would cover 70 percent of start-up costs.
So far, more than 100 individuals and representatives from local companies looking to get involved in the IT sector have expressed interest in the scheme, a ministry spokesman said.
Katherine Getao of the University of Nairobi, one of three universities hosting the incubators, is eager to offer recent graduates an opportunity to use the skills they learned at school.
"This is a sleeping giant of skill, energy and enthusiasm for the young people we're training," said Getao, who heads the university's computer science department.
"It's important for us as Kenyans to create meaningful, gainful employment for our young people," she said.
While the universities tackle more advanced outsourcing contracts, such as software development, several area businesses already involved in outsourcing will operate call centers and data processing units.
The founder of one of four companies in Kenya offering data-processing and transcription services to overseas clients says incubators could be the first step in developing the IT industry to its full potential.
"Startup costs do not have to be prohibitive," said Mugure Mugo, of Nairobi-based Preciss Services. "If you show people how to start small and grow organically, that's the best way to work forward."
In addition, KenCall, east Africa's only international call center, has agreed to provide space in their state-of-the-art complex where customer service calls are re-routed from diverse companies in the US and the UK. The center's operations director, Eric Nesbitt, says expanding the industry will help grow the country's poor infrastucture and lure more international clients.
"We need to get Kenya on the international map but we need support to get the country recognized for its call center industry," said Nesbitt, as he strolled through the warehouse that houses KenCall's 100 employees.
All efforts will be concentrated in the capital Nairobi for the first year, as Kenya's erratic communications system is upgraded in several other major cities.
Ndemo hopes the completion of an underground fibre-optic cable system will enable providers to offer more reliable and affordable telephone and bandwidth services.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS