This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
August 20, 2019, marked two years since the Big 4 agenda became Kenya's development blueprint. This five-year plan aims to accelerate the country's development and achieve Vision 2030.
The agenda focuses on increasing manufacturing's contribution to the economy from 8.5 percent to 15 percent, building 500,000 new houses, ensuring 100 percent universal health coverage, and achieving 100 percent food and nutritional security for all Kenyans.
However, the fourth industrial revolution (FIR) is transforming traditional industries, making it crucial to deploy large-scale disruptive technologies to achieve the Big 4 agenda's goals.
Traditional linear industrialization models suggest that Africa, with its youthful population, would benefit from a demographic dividend and attract labor-intensive manufacturing as Asian countries' workforces age. However, disruptive technologies like robotics and additive manufacturing may hinder this, as robots can perform mass manufacturing at a lower cost than African labor.
Furthermore, countries that export labor-intensive manufactured products may lose their competitive edge as importing countries use technology to manufacture at lower costs.
The fourth industrial revolution presents an opportunity for early adopters and digital natives to leapfrog traditional industrialization models and position themselves in prosperity-sustaining value chains.
Food security is essential for human rights and national stability, but Kenya's fast population growth, diminishing arable land, and rainfall variability due to climate change make traditional rain-fed agriculture unsustainable.
Traditional irrigation may not be a long-term solution due to drying rivers and groundwater over-abstraction. Therefore, biotechnology is crucial for sustainable and affordable food sources.
Biotechnology can improve crop yields, pest resistance, and nutritional value, convert arid and semi-arid land into food baskets, and reduce crop maturity. It must be supported by information technology to ensure farmers receive fair prices and minimize post-harvest losses.
Simple mobile apps can empower farmers by providing market intelligence and weather tracking, reducing exploitation by middlemen and enabling consumers to pay fair prices for food.
The writer is a science, technology, and innovation policy expert.
