The Kenya ICT Board in partnership with listed telecoms operator Safaricom will host the Connected Government Summit from the 29th of March to 1st April 2010 in Mombasa. The Connected Government Summit, the brainchild of the Kenya ICT Board in consultation with industry players and key government decision makers, aims to establish a platform for collaboration, building capacity and sharing priorities between the government and the IT sector with a view to linking and hastening implementation of government IT projects to world-class standards.“The Board created the Connected Government Summit to establish a platform upon which the government and the private sector come together to deliberate on key priority areas and identify areas for partnership that will deliver services to the public in a harmonious and timely manner. We expect this to be a successful event particularly in regards to speaking to the role that shared services plays in Kenya Vision 2030", said Paul Kukubo, CEO, Kenya ICT Board. Kukubo reiterated that in the backdrop of the gazetted regulations governing public private partnerships (PPPs), there were opportunities for government to work closely with private sector to implement key projects to help Kenya attain the goals of the Kenya Vision 2030 – especially to create wealth and employment for Kenyans while delivering better services to citizens.

“We have invited and confirmed that several key Permanent Secretaries, Members of Parliament, and other senior government officials will be attending this important event. We are committed to delivering results for Kenyans – better services through the adoption of ICT. We want to thank all our sponsors, Safaricom, Oracle, NetApp and Microsoft for their generous sponsorship which has helped to make this Summit possible,” said Kukubo.

Some of the key ICT projects the Kenya ICT Board is facilitating with remarkable success include digitization of records at the Ministry of Lands, Company Registry and the Judiciary. Some of these will be showcased during the Summit and best practices shared across ministries.

Speaking during the launch of the summit, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said: “As a major player in Kenya’s fixed and mobile data market, Safaricom recognizes the government’s position as a key buyer and catalyst of demand for ICT and data products, which is why we are partnering with the Kenya ICT Board as the lead sponsor for this meeting.

He added: “Data products and services, if strategically deployed, can be used as an efficient and cost-effective tool for better delivery of public services. Safaricom has the products and services and backed by a wide customer base, is willing and ready to partner with government in this quest.”

Joseph hoped the workshop would help forge sustained dialogue between the public and private sectors in the ICT and data space, which is key to coming up with optimal solutions for customers and citizens. Already, he noted, a majority of the estimated 3.5 million Internet users in Kenya access the Internet through Safaricom services.

With increased use of the Internet among Kenyans on the back of recent improvements in the country’s data infrastructure, the opportunity for providing government services online is tremendous. The theme for Connected Government 2010 this year is: Shared services to drive down cost to citizens.

 Connected Government Summit has three main objectives. The first is to build capacity of the senior government officials in the implementation of ICT projects towards their transformed public services provision. The second, to increase the understanding of the participants of shared services, managed services and Public Private Partnership rules as well as their potential for supporting transformation in ICT projects. Lastly, the Connected Government Summit aims to provide a platform for the senior government officials to network with each other and to form lasting fruitful relationships for future partnerships with the various companies represented there.