Kenya is hoping that continued investment efforts in its business process outsourcing (BPO) sector will continue to boost the country’s economic growth.
The Kenyan government announced that it was looking to incorporate high-skilled IT services such as software development, animation and gaming into the local market in order to strengthen international companies’ interest in the country.
The Kenya ICT Board, a government arm charged with marketing the country as a business process outsourcing hub, has been concentrating on voice segments for services like customer care and telemarketing.
“What we have seen in recent years is that Kenya is really going after making the country a leading destination for companies looking to outsource and it is working,” says William Mkale, a Nairobi-based ministry of communications official.
Mkale says these new efforts are likely to spur growth and keep the economy pushing forward.
The Kenyan government is focusing on linking the 25 registered BPO and call center operators while leaving out other 637 information technology service (ITES) providers.
In the past, Kenya has lost many BPO opportunities despite having a vibrant technology community – some have won major awards in software development.
Kenya industry analysts firmly believe that marketing the country’s BPO sector, might help attract companies searching for an ICT footprint in East Africa.
“Look at the success of the telecom sector in Kenya in recent years and it is obvious that by continuing to bolster the IT infrastructure that the ministry has been pushing is going to achieve great success,” says Mkale.
By: Janan Yussif
