6 Introduction 1.3.3 LESSONS LEARNT The cost of communication may have come down considerably but there still remains a wide digital divide between urban and rural areas. The cost of ICT delivery, utilisation and maintenance in the rural areas also tend to be higher than in the urban areas. Reforms in trade and industry are key in enabling e-business to flourish. However, these reforms are yet to be fully realised and can only be achieved if there is political stability and peace among citizens. In the years of relative peace, the country experiences growth and development due to increased investments, calm and focus among citizens. Delay in the implementation of these initiatives was experienced when the ministry was involved in lengthy tendering and negotiation process, particularly on the privatisation of Telkom Kenya and the awarding of tender to implement the TEAMS project. Competition has been observed to be a good element for development, especially in the growth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI). In telecommunication, for instance, the cellular market has grown and spread all over the country, allowing Kenyans to communicate easily and carry out economic activities. Competition has also lowered the cost of communication. For Kenya to have a fully ICT induced economy, the ICT users must be literate enough rather than only having ICT systems and content alone. Education and training curricular reviews have not been carried out to ensure this is done. Population awareness of ICT should be championed countrywide to spread the use and importance of ICT, and also educate the illiterate on some basic facts of ICT. For Kenya to fully utilise ICT as an economic driver, there is need to address other support sectors such as energy whose cost and availability of energy has hindered the development of ICT. Kenya has a population with different talents as far as innovations in ICT application in mobile technologies is concerned. This, therefore, calls for the country to start programmes that recognise talents and start growing them. The current state of ICT infrastructure is still a major hindrance to the country’s full exploitation of the economic and commercial potential of the sector. To develop this infrastructure, private sector participation will be needed. Public sector communications must be well managed and coordinated by State entities to project a positive image of the Government. Managing communications is essential in meeting the high expectations of the citizenry for quality public service delivery. Poor management of public communications reduce Government visibility, accessibility and acceptability. This subsequently results in reduced public trust and confidence in the integrity, reliability and impartiality in the Public Service. The ongoing modernisation of equipment has improved the information gathering and delivery to the citizenry. Budgetary constraints delayed the implementation and extension of information resource centres. Freezing of recruitment and blocking of staff promotions affected effective delivery of services to the public. Expansion of the media space saw the growth of social media, which has improved uptake of information. The successful implementation of TEAMS as a PPP indicates that the Government can effectively collaborate with the private sector to implement key programmes which require huge capital investment through a structured PPP framework.