Kenya is listed as having the highest number of tech hubs in Sub-Sahara Africa and second only to South Africa.
According to the latest mapping done by Global Systems for Mobile Communication Association (GSMA), South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco host the highest number of hubs in Africa.
The fastest-growing ecosystems in Africa, based on the number of tech hubs created per year, are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Nigeria.
These disclosures are contained in a Study Report by the African Development Bank Group titled: Unlocking the potential of the fourth industrial revolution in Africa.
The report provides a comprehensive analysis of some major disruptive technologies in Africa, namely Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, 3D printing, Blockchain, and Drones.
Several start-ups are already using AI for precision farming i.e., analyzing pixels from satellite imagery data to estimate rainfall and drought patterns. Others provide information via SMS to help farmers determine, for example, what fertilizer matches their specific needs as well as credit requirements.
Kenya has an internet penetration of 30%, compared to 9% in Rwanda and 13% in Uganda. A 20% level is the critical mass necessary for network effects of broadband to result in economic growth.
Kenya plans to use drones in the digitization of land records. At present, the land registration system is largely based on aerial photographs in which parcel boundaries marked by hedges and fences have to be identified manually.
In this context, the adoption of drones is expected to provide a significant opportunity to improve land registration processes and systems, thereby enabling citizens to gain access to the associated benefits.
Kenya is yet to put in place legislation that allows for the use of drones. This is in contrast to South Africa, Malawi, Rwanda, and several countries in East Africa, which are already using drones.
At present, Kenya has only issued updated drone regulatory guidelines and announced future initiatives. In both Rwanda and Ghana, drones are being used to deliver medical supplies in remoter areas.
Kenya’s use of AI is still at infancy, says the report, and that the country has already formed a task force that aims to provide recommendations on how the government can leverage new technologies (including AI) in the next five years.
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