#Connected2016: Connected Summit 2016 to officially commence today

This year’s Connected Summit is themed “Bridging the service gap” and with an overview of Bridging the Service Gap, the three ay event will seek to explore

In his welcoming remarks, Principle Secretary ICT and Innovations, Eng. Victor Kyalo said that through the three day summit, the ministry is looking forward into exploring ways and identifing gaps that need to be addressed in order to achieve ubiquitous access to public services as well as looking forward to new innovations during The Connected ICT Innovation Awards that seek to celebrate Kenyan entrepreneurs that have launched new ICT products and services.

The inaugural awards were held in 2011 at the Connected Kenya Summit; the award has since recognized more than 45 new ICT products and solutions. This year’s summit will also see the Ministry of ICT launch a new ICT Project that they declined to reveal.

The Connected Summit, is the brainchild of the ICT Authority in consultation with ICT industry players and key government decision makers.

First held in 2009, the summit aims at establishing a platform for collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing between government and the ICT sector with a view of linking and hastening implementation of government IT projects to world-class standards.

Some of today’s leading government projects have links with Connected Kenya. With its remarkable mix of decision-makers from government and leading ICT thinkers from industry, the Summit has enabled its participants to develop unique insights that allow them to successfully respond and design their engagement in Kenya’s vibrant ICT sector.

Projects such as Kenya Open Data Initiative, Huduma citizen’s portal and the development of a national Information Security Policy were informed or refined from discussions and panels held at Connected.

The government also adopted a recommendation from the 2015 Connected in the Digital Literacy Programme, which called for support of locally assembled devices through the review of the taxation policies on components.

The explosive entry of digital technology into everyday life has changed how people live and work, how companies do their daily business and how governments serve their people.

Governments around the world are recognizing the value of using digital information technology to deliver services. Properly designed and implemented, information technology can improve efficiency in the delivery of government services, simplify compliance with government regulations, strengthen citizen participation and trust in government, and yield cost savings for citizens, businesses and the government itself.

In Kenya, the Government has recognized the critical role of information technology in delivering services and has outlined adoption plans in the National ICT Masterplan 2017 and the Broadband Strategy. The plan envisions a one-stop-shop service centre for Kenyan citizens.

Already, services like eCitizen have seen tremendous growth with over 2 million people using the service within one year of launch. However, to ensure these services reach every Kenyan from the urban home to the most rural dwellings, the government must invest and expand the way ICT is used for delivery.

Objectives of this year’s Connected summit include: Identifing gaps in public sector service delivery that can be solved by innovative use of ICT, highlighting efficiency gaps in public sector IT projects and consider policy recommendations, sharing knowledge, best practice and lessons learnt based on experience in implementing ICT projects, building support on ongoing ICT integrated infrastructure projects and providing a platform for meaningful networking that will result in fruitful relationships that contribute to economic development.