NAIROBI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Development of Kenya's flagship technology city is on course as the East African nation rolls out supportive infrastructure to facilitate growth of the digital economy, officials said on Tuesday.
John Tanui, the CEO of Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KOTDA), said the government has been facilitating dialogue with investors to set up physical infrastructure and social amenities at the proposed site of the technology city.
"The proposed Konza technology city whose implementation will be done in three phases is part of the government's digital transformation agenda. The project is at the take-off stage," Tanui said.
He spoke in Nairobi during a national workshop to discuss flagship projects that are embedded in Kenya's Vision 2030 blue print on socioeconomic transformation.
Kenya's ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been spearheading the establishment of a technology city on 2,000 hectares of land located 60 kilometers southeast of the capital, Nairobi.
The envisaged technology hub is expected to attract foreign direct investments and create jobs for skilled youth.
Tanui said that core activities at Konza technology hub will focus on ICT, life sciences and engineering disciplines to fuel Kenya's transition to knowledge-based economy.
"We are optimistic the Konza technology city will offer incubation and acceleration space for local start-ups. It will also be a hub for research and development (R&D)," said Tanui.
Kenya requires 14.5 billion dollars to develop the proposed technology city modeled on America's Silicon Valley.
Tanui said the government will source for funds from institutional investors to ensure Konza technopolis is completed on schedule.
"The project has attracted investors from across the globe and currently we are developing physical infrastructure like access roads and sewer lines to pave way for creation of the pioneer technology city in the region," Tanui told reporters.
He added that Konza Technology City that is a flagship vision 2030 project is expected to generate 17,000 high-value direct jobs upon completion. Enditem
