This is an interesting time. having made many presentations to many forums in many places, it would seem appropriate that I try my hand at writing. I enjoy communicating. I believe in what technology can do to transform Kenya and Africa in general. As i write this, I am a little overwhelmed by many things. The US election and the way the financial crisis is playing out. The challenges and rewards of running the Kenya ICT Board and placing Kenya on the global ICT map. My wife and kids and the need to balance pressures of work and family. The need to rethink my role in 3mice, a company I founded and that I have not got much time for any more. My current priority is to get the ICT Board to contribute meaningfully in transforming the country. Its a huge privilege that has its challenges. One of the greatest strategic debates I have in my own mind is whether the big ICT firms can be the catalysts for the change we need by technology transfer, or whether it will be the smaller firms innovating or a mix of both. I see many bright young graduates every day trying to tinker with entrepreneurship. I also see others crave the comfort of a job with a blue chip firm. I see clever established ICT business owners trying to make the next step change, I see ICT investors trying to make sense of their investment in a company where the employee turnover is very high and in the process I see them getting discouraged from making further investments in people. I see some entrepreneurs with so much self discipline it amazes me. how they make money providing a very predictable, simple but essential service. I have concluded that what will make many of our businesses successful will not necessarily be undue attention to innovative ideas, novelty or creativity, or the pursuit of the ‘deal’.. What will transform many of the ICT players most is the injection of discipline. Business and personal discipline. Very unfashionable, but very important. The ability to prepare a quotation with brutal honesty, the ability to be honest about ability, to deliver what was promised, to get back to the client on time, to truly listen to the client, to treat employees with respect, to prepare budgets without getting mesmerized by the Power -point or excel graphics. Just thinking through the numbers, understanding the market and the client, understanding client and market pain points. Not spending time seeking the newest or latest technology fad and investing around it… more on my blog later…
my first blog
Paul , I couldn’t agree with you more on discpline. The real meaning of discpline is ‘desciple’ , now whether being a disciple of one’s personal cause which includes the venture or seen from one being a disciple of the values and principles of which they espouse and which should be in alignment with those of their ventures it is a great ingridient to building a sustainable organization.
Infact one of my worries with Kenyan entrepreneurial minds is not so that they are not willing to take risks , its not even that they are not comptent technologogically but I think character and patience to build an organisation rather than to do ‘hit and run’ deals is what needs to be inculcanated more.
It’s a pity that the funds churned out by the government have not been used to set up Small Business development centres in every district to help nurture these individuals’ characters and organisational discpline as you put it. Kenyaimagine exists for pursuing this cause so do join us time to time on such debates.
The trick to our ICT development as you have rightly put lies in the ability of players in the industry to get the basics right, I used to be one of those “hot air” ICT enteprenures full of dreams of making the world a better place through my ideas, but i painfully learnt that what works is not the best ideas but the most determined and discipled people with a soution that works.
Welcome to the world of blogging Paul. Your voice is a welcome and necessary addition to this community. Your knowledge of the intricacies and challenges facing a technologically challenged Kenya should make this blog a must read. Looking forward to future posts. Dave Nyambati.
Welcome to the world of blogging Paul. Your voice is a welcome and necessary addition to this community. Your knowledge of the intricacies and challenges facing a technologically challenged Kenya should make this blog a must read. Looking forward to future posts. Dave Nyambati. http://www.KenyaImagine.com.
I like this, you appear pretty open minded about how players will help us move forward. That is great…and i for sure see a day when your vision will become a reality. How can you lead us into this is the question i believe you and many others will be looking to find answer.
To steer us forward, i will leave this comment ”Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success, Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall”
What is not very clear so far from the ICT board and of course the ministry is, what has been identified as the ‘right wall’ and how you hope to enjoin all stakeholders to efficiently climb this ladder. Perhaps this blog will serve as a great forum to shape this up as well as ‘agenda set and opinion lead’ for us to support your stewardship.
Good article.
Another thing that will transform this country is make IT meaningful and essential to the everyday life of a regular mwananchi just like mobile phones have become. By everyday life I mean business and trade.
As a country and a continent we still lag behind in being connected to the global market through the online channel. Its a pity that foreigners in the west make a killing by selling our wares on ebay but the originators of the items don’t benefit at all.
I am looking forward to the day the maasai market traders will not have to wait for a tourist season to come so that they can sell but will be able to sell online their items throughout the year without worrying of the uncertainties that surround the tourism industry. I also look forward to the day a software engineer entrepreneur in our country will develop a piece of software or service and be able to sell it online to the global market. Apart from the B.P.O which will create many jobs, the success story of our country can be written by the common man being able to access the global market online.
And what of the bright and talented young graduates in IT who come out and are brave enough to go into freelancing? Or are setting up some small outfits? They have complete trust in their abilities, which in Kenya cannot be put to question. Given our resources, we are [producing very good guys.. And they trust the system hoping it will have a place for them……….
Congratulations on your first (and i see a subsequent) post. It is a great feeling when you finaly overcome yourself and do something that you always wanted to do (read writing for you!). I think that if we have more kenyans at your level and stage in life spearheading such moves we are bound to share great insights, information and experiences with each other and this really captures the spirit of the 2.0 internet phase; communication not just information