This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
Kenya is on the cusp of a technological revolution with the introduction of 5G technology, set to transform industries and propel Konza City to a technology hub in Africa.
As Asia and other continents accelerate their adoption of 5G and Advanced Intelligence (AI) technology, Kenya is gearing up to be a pioneer in East Africa, with the completion of the Data Centre by Huawei in Konza Smart City.
The Data Centre, a key component of the Konza City project, will enable the development of smart city infrastructure, supporting the delivery of connected urban services and efficient management of those services on a large scale.
According to Pamela Tutui, a director at Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA), Kenya will draw inspiration from a campus in China's Shenzhen City to elevate Konza Smart City to a technology hub in Africa.
Smart cities, as envisioned by Ann Theresse Jatta Ndong, Director of UNESCO regional Eastern Africa, will bring innovative solutions to urban challenges, such as efficient street lighting and intelligent transportation systems.
However, Joe Kelly, Vice President of Corporate Communications, notes that Kenya still needs to provide 5G spectrum licenses before operators can build 5G networks, highlighting a key hurdle in the country's 5G adoption journey.
The Konza City project, part of Kenya's Vision 2030 development plan, has allocated Ksh.10 billion towards its implementation, with detailed planning underway for ICT infrastructure.
