This stems from the fast growing usage of technology in these markets as well as a largely untapped market in both businesses and individuals/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 19 – Intel Corporation has made Kenya its regional hub for East Africa, and announced key appointments including a regional head and several senior managers over the last few months.
Intel General Manager for East Africa Danie Steyn said the company views East Africa and other developing economies as the key markets where significant growth opportunities in computing will come from in the next few years.
This stems from the fast growing usage of technology in these markets as well as a largely untapped market in both businesses and individuals.
The three largest and fastest growing market segments in emerging markets are corporate IT, consumer and governments.
“In corporate IT we expect that IT budgets are set to increase as companies look for ways to maximize their IT spend for productivity and expansion,” he said.
“The penetration of PCs into households are increasing significantly as a result of the combination of increase in GDP in emerging markets, the increase in disposable income of consumers and the decrease in the prices of PCs and other personal computing devices,” he added.
Steyn acknowledged that more governments in emerging markets are realising the importance of being globally competitive and the need for ICT skills and computer literacy of a country’s workforce in the global marketplace.
The Intel East Africa office has committed resources to initiate and support successful programs to transform education through the effective use of ICT with the aim of improving the quality of education, increasing access and the penetration of broadband into households by collaborating with telecommunication companies, regulators and Ministers of ICT throughout East Africa and to initiate support programs focused at the modernisation of corporate and government IT.
Intel has already trained 10,000 teachers in Kenya in collaboration with the Teachers Service Commission and others, as well as initiated and collaborated with the Minister of ICT and the Kenya ICT Board on the successful deployment of Wezesha, the student ownership program through which 16,000 Kenyan students were able to buy laptops in 2011.
“A number of new programs will be launched in the next 12 months. The increase in our headcount in East Arica is strategic to ensure the success of these programs” he emphasised.
