support ICT value addition in the product and or service delivery processes across the board, the full benefits that ICT brings to the various
economic sectors cannot be realised. On the other hand, ICT is also a
valuable tool in the efficient generation, distribution and utilization of
energy.
The key social and economic sectors which have been selected and
whose performance can be enhanced through the use of ICT are outlined below.
Health
‘ICT can be used
to facilitate
e-health and
telemedicine’
Whereas health has been categorized as a social pillar in vision 2030,
it is also a key economic sector consisting of service and value addition by various stakeholders. The economic aspect of health significantly contributes towards the growth of businesses in areas such as
health insurance, hospital management, pharmaceuticals, medical
supply and logistics, patients management and evacuation services.
In many rural parts of the country there is an acute shortage of doctors and other health-care providers. Majority of Kenyans lack access
to medical care, either because they cannot afford to pay for services
or because they must travel long distances to reach the nearest clinic
or hospital.
There is an opportunity to use technology to alleviate the shortage
of health professionals. For example, ICT can be used to facilitate ehealth and telemedicine where facilities such as radiology machines
and human resources such as doctors are shared across distributed
hospitals. In addition, mobile phone-based applications can be used
to provide various medical services. The use of technology in this way
will reduce the need for high numbers of health workers.
The flagship project to be implemented is an integrated national
health system. This system will integrate the various systems that are
developed and implemented in the health sector, including doctors
management system, drug supply chain system, and hospital management system for all hospitals. The integration will create a central
health data repository shared by all health institutions. It will include
a health e-portal that provides services and summary statistics to rel-
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evant and authorized stakeholders.
Education
Education is considered as a social pillar in Vision 2030 but it is also a
key economic sector consisting of service and value addition activities
by various stakeholders. Its economic aspects touch on service delivery and value addition contributing towards business opportunities in
the learning, certification and research processes.
The two flagship projects that will be implemented by 2017/2018 are:
•
The on-going school laptop project to provide teaching and
learning tools for pupils entering standard one in primary schools in
Kenya beginning from the year 2014 to transform education and help
to create a knowledge society. This project must include: review of
school curricula, conversion of courseware into digital form, ICT training for teachers, and broadband internet connectivity to the schools.
•
Automation of academic and administrative processes at all
levels of education in order to have all education information online.
This will include an education e-portal that provides services and
summary statistics to the public.
‘Due to
increased
insecurity, the
cost of
involvement in
meaningful
economic
activities has
increased’
Security
Firms in Africa spend up to 10% of sales on crime and security-related costs. Kenyan businesses spend 4% of sales just on crime insurance. The direct costs of insecurity in the country have had significant
impact on asset losses, damage and personal injury.
Due to increased insecurity, the cost of involvement in meaningful
economic activities has increased. ICT provides the opportunity to
improve on monitoring, evidence capture and reporting, resulting in
positive contribution to business growth.
In order to improve security an integrated security, intelligence and
surveillance system project will be implemented. Built on the persons data hub, this project will enable the creation of multiple agency
database and master data platform, data warehouse, crime analytics,
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