Kenya is hoping that continued investment efforts in its outsourcing sector will continue to boost the country's economic growth. The government announced that it was looking to incorporate high-skilled IT services such as software development, animation and gaming into the local market in order to buttress international companies interest in the country, which has already seen much growth in outsourcing in recent years. The Kenya ICT Board, a government arm charged with marketing the country as a business process outsourcing (BPO) hub, has been concentrating on voice segment for services like customer care and telemarketing, reported Business Daily. “These are less lucrative and has seen Kenya lose many BPO opportunities despite having a bubbly techie community that has won major awards in software development,” the report stated. Analysts believe that by pushing these sectors it will help make Kenya a more enticing destination for companies looking to get a foot into East African markets. “What we have seen in recent years is that Kenya is really going after making the country a leading destination for companies looking to outsource and it is working,” said William Mkale, a Nairobi-based ministry of communications official. He told IT News Africa/Bikya Masr that these new efforts are likely to spur growth and keep the economy pushing forward. “Look at the success of the telecom sector in Kenya in recent years and it is obvious that by continuing to bolster the IT infrastructure that the ministry has been pushing is going to achieve great success,” he added. The government is focusing on linking the 25 registered BPO and call center operators while leaving out other 637 information technology service (ITES) providers. BM
