Kenya Approves 'Digital Superhighway' to Boost Internet Connectivity and Digitalization

Kenyan President William Ruto has highlighted the government's commitment to improve digitalization in the country. In particular, he promised to extend internet access and ensure universal broadband access over the next five years.

Kenya has green-lit plans to construct a 'digital superhighway' paving the way for the creation of 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots, local media has reported.

The project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), includes laying an additional 100,000km of the national fiber-optic network. It was an election pledge of the ruling Kenya Kwanza Party.

Similarly, digital hubs will be set up in each of the 1,450 districts to provide e-government and e-commerce services and empower Kenyans to participate in economic development.

“The revolutionary project seeks to strengthen our nation’s ICT backbone by increasing the fibre network coverage across the country, hence reducing the cost of internet connectivity,” reads the government statement, as cited by the media.

ICT Secretary Eliud Owalo stated that the hotspots mainly target local businesses and underserved communities, and their number will increase significantly by the end of the year. In particular, in the country's capital Nairobi, 17 hotspots have been set up, with others in the towns of Nyeri, Bondo and Ahero.

The project is scheduled to be completed by 2027. According to Owalo, the digital infrastructure initiative is expected to create at least 1.5 to 2 million jobs.

The government has also announced that more than 1,200 services are already available at the e-Citizen platform, an official portal of the government aimed at delivering state services via the internet. 5,000 more are set to be implemented over the next six months. According to Ruto, the automation of services is part of the "new paradigm" in its delivery.

The innovations are being implemented as part of the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Program and supported by the World Bank's Digital Economy Moonshot Project.