Ruto says 80pc of State services fully digitised
President William Ruto has announced that 80 per cent of the government’s services are now available on digital platforms, marking significant progress in the country’s digitisation efforts.
Speaking at the Connect Africa Summit in Nairobi, Ruto emphasised the pivotal role of technology in driving national transformation. Ruto said the transformative potential of technology in revolutionising progress and breaking down barriers, citing examples of its impact on youth empowerment in remote areas.
President Ruto said Africa’s youth were pivotal in driving the continent’s digital transformation. With their brilliant minds, he pointed out, they are actively contributing to the growth of the global technology sector marking out Africa as an indispensable hub of technological innovation.
“They are a generation which has been socialised to internalise technology as a basic need and way of life that is essential not only for economic growth, but also as a vital tool for solving the most pressing challenges of our time,” the President said.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Ruto noted that the young African talents, driven by their bold creativity and indomitable entrepreneurial spirit, are at the forefront pioneering advances in Fintech, agri-tech, renewable energy and digital services. He further stated that through the Summit, the continent will lay a sustainable foundation of connectivity and empower its people to achieve the UN Sustainable development goals as well as the AU’s Agenda 2063.
The Head of State, however, noted that the continent still has a long way to go in getting ready for the digital economy and the future of work noting that the continent’s internet penetration rate stands at 36 per cent, which translates to 473 million users, in a continent of 1.4 billion people. The current pace of development, Ruto said means the numbers are likely to increase by 300 million by 2030.
“We must therefore be concerned by the fact that our rate of connectivity is poorer than the existing potential. Despite these connections, fixed broadband penetration in Africa is only about 5 per cent, which leaves us far behind other regions of the globe,” he said.
Ruto added that this reality carries dire implications to the continent’s ambition for connectivity and economic transformation through the digital economy.
Under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the President said that the Africa aims to harness Pan-African integration in order to expand the collective gross domestic product (GDP) from $1.7 trillion to $2.5 trillion by 2030.
“This ambition must be complemented by a strong commitment to bridge the huge digital divide which undermines our continent’s growth prospects. Globally, Africa’s digital infrastructure coverage, access, and quality lags behind other regions. Yet it does not have to be this way, because the most transformative interventions are a decision away,” he said while highlighting the variances in connectivity amongst people in the region.
The President said closing the digital divide was a priority. That by enhancing connectivity and expanding the contribution of the ICT sector to Africa’s GDP, this will drive overall gross domestic product growth.
Broadband services
“This will be achieved through determined interventions to significantly increase access to broadband services, and to enhance both service quality and affordability. These efforts will lead to job creation and poverty reduction,” Ruto said. The Connected Africa Summit 2024, held under the theme, “Shaping the Future of a Connected Africa: Unlocking Growth Beyond Connectivity”, is a high-level international forum for key African Policy and decision-makers aimed at shaping the future of Africa’s Digital Economic Landscape.
