Gov’t working to clear operating barriers facing ICT sector, PS Tanui assures investors

Speaking when he toured the Nairobi operating hub for Sama, the leader in providing data annotation solutions that power AI models, Tanui said government has embarked on strategic processes to clear operating barriers facing players in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

As part of a strategy to facilitate technology firms' investments in Kenya, the Government, he said, is working to establish more than 1450 digital hubs in every ward countrywide. 

The hubs will be linked by a robust fibre-optic backbone infrastructure. Such connectivity, he said, will help boost ongoing capacity-building efforts to facilitate more than 1 million jobs in the ICT sector.

During the tour, Sama Global CEO Wendy Gonzalez indicated that Kenya could stand to lose more than 2,500 jobs earmarked for Kenyan youth as part of the firm's growth plans this year, but more importantly, growth of the BPO sector as a whole.

With recent legal events targeting the BPO sector, Tanui said it is in the government's interest to secure such employment by addressing legal and related barriers.

"I have heard their concerns, and I can confirm that the Government will relentlessly work to address operating challenges affecting Kenya's competitiveness in the global market. The Government is committed to securing these 2,500 jobs by Sama as we race to formulate the necessary policies and regulations to accelerate the growth of players in the BPO sector,” Tanui said.

Sama CEO Ms Gonzalez and Sama Vice President of Global Delivery, Annepeace Alwala, welcomed the Government's assurance to address operating challenges as it seeks to grow and continue its long track record of growth in Kenya.

She shared that the BPO sector is crucial in developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems that power the Automotive, Retail, Agricultural and Food technology sectors.

"Economic players are investing heavily in AI, with such investments now estimated to top US$ 2 trillion by 2030. Notably, the AI sector is a growth line for players in the BPO sector as it requires substantial human support to build and validate input data," Ms Gonzalez said. 

Recently, Sama announced the unveiling of Platform 2.0, a re-engineered computer vision platform to reduce the risk of machine learning (ML) algorithm failures.