NAIROBI: A recent World Bank report has praised Kenya's efforts to boost its economy through technology and telecom. The report comes as the Kenyan government continues to push forward on ambitious efforts to increase its telecom and ICT industry. The report said that “despite facing challenges including national elections, the establishment of a new system of devolved government and the possibility of a deteriorating global economy, the surging information and communications technology field could boost the performance of a number of sectors, including transportation, agriculture and infrastructure.” In many ways it is redemption for Nairobi, which had initiated numerous telecom endeavors in recent years to boost its telecom industry, from a middle of the road African nation to a leading instrument for innovation. According to Gurav Sanjeev, a Bharti Airtel representative in Kenya, it shows the government planned and executed the telecom boom just right. “I think what we are witnessing in Kenya is a true revolution of telecom and one that cannot be silenced and which is integral to the country's overall industry and economy as a whole,” he told Bikyamasr.com. “Africa is on a growth path, but Kenya, particularly, has two advantages,” Wolfgang Fengler, the World Bank's lead economist for the East African region said in a statement. Fengler noted that the country had a large and growing online community and that this would enable Kenya to continue to integrate its economy with its burgeoning telecom industry. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/qDbIW Tags: ICT, Kenya, Telecom, World Bank Section: East Africa, Tech
