15 X.- FACTOR COMUNICACIÓN Y VISITAS
SECCION JUVENIL CENTRO DETENCION PREVENTIVA PUENTE ALTO
2.1.7.1 Services
Computer services encompass activities such as software development, customization, and support; packaged software distribution, website development and hosting; data entry and call centers. Unlike the telecommunications and Internet market segments, computer services are for the most part unregulated in the Initial Study Countries. As a result, scarce official information exists regarding the computer services market. Furthermore, available data are sometimes contradictory, unofficial or not precisely defined, inhibiting benchmarking with other countries. Kenya’s computer services market is the most evolved in East Africa. For example, apart from Uganda, Kenya was the only other Initial Study Country to have secure Internet servers in June 2005 with nine servers.41 Kenya also has the largest number of Internet hosts and users in the region. Over 80 companies are members of the Computer Society of Kenya.
Kenya’s relatively more advanced ICT sector compared to the other Initial Study Countries has made it an attractive location with multinationals such as Cisco, Google, HP, IBM, Oracle, and SAP making it their regional headquarters. Some of these companies have established training
36 Wikipedia.org, SAFE (Cable System), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAFE_(cable_system) [Accessed Sept. 13, 2007].
37 Gov.mu, ICT Indicators, http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/cso/scanict/ict.pdf [Accessed Aug. 3, 2007]. 38 Telkom, Form 20-F (2007).
39 PLDT, Form 20-F (2007).
40 PLDT.com, The Philippines Gateway to the Internet, http://www.pldt.com.ph/prod-serv/business/i-gate.htm [Accessed Sept. 13, 2007].
41Survey.Netcraft.com, SSL Server Survey 2005,
centers, helping to anchor industry development and make it sustainable.42 But it has been
difficult to keep skilled Kenyan ICT staff in the country. It is estimated that over 1,000 Kenyan ICT professionals are working in other African countries, remitting more than US$ 10 million annually.43
Several firms are providing ICT outsourcing services in Kenya. Call centers are seen as an attractive market niche, given the neutral Kenyan English accent and Kenya’s location in roughly the same time zone as Europe. According to one estimate, the size of the Kenyan call center
market is US$ 5 million with some 3,000 employees.44 Partner Research Corporation, a
Canadian company, has joined with a Kenyan ISP, Skyweb Technologies, to shift its call center
from Canada to Nairobi.45 It employs around 25 staff. Another example is KenCall, which
provides services such as help desk support and was one of Kenya’s first international call centers. KenCall launched operations in 2003. Located in the Sameer Export Processing Zone
in Nairobi, KenCall now has nearly 300 employees and annual revenues of US$ 3.5 million.46
Another company carrying out ICT outsourcing is PrecissPatrol, a Kenyan firm specializing in targeted Internet research.47
Among the Initial Study Countries for which data is available, Tanzania’s had the second largest IT services market measured by revenue. One company in this market is AfriConnect Tanzania, primarily a provider of networking solutions with branches in Ghana and Zambia.48 Another is Soft-Tech, an ICT consulting firm established in 1993 that offers services ranging from custom software development to IT training.49 Soft-Tech has partnerships with multinationals such as Oracle and Unisys and its clients include the government of Tanzania and donor organizations.50 A budding computer and information services industry in Uganda surpassed sales of some US$ 30 million in 2005. According to one source, there were around 150 registered firms in the
sector in 2002. 51 The development of export markets for ICT-enabled services is slowly
progressing. A survey of almost 50 Ugandan ICT firms found that 17 were providing ICT
42 For example: Cisco has 20 Network Academies in Kenya. See, Cisco Press Release, People of Kibera to Get IT Training and Access to the Internet (June 20, 2007), http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_062007b.html
[Accessed Sept. 13, 2007].
43 Benefits of Liberalized CRS to Kenya.
44 Nyambura-Mwaura, H., “Kenya Wants to Grab Piece of Outsourcing Pie,” Reuters (Aug. 1, 2007), available at http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSL2992583720070801?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&sp=true [Accessed August 13, 2007].
45 Odera, G., “Untapped ICT Opportunities in Africa,” CCAfrica.ca (April 2005), available at
http://www.ccafrica.ca/events/ccaf/finance/Skyweb.PDF [Accessed Sept. 13, 2007].
46 Friedman, Thomas L., “The African Connection,” The New York Times, at 15 (Apr. 2007), available at
http://freedemocracy.blogspot.com/2007/04/thomas-l-friedman-african-connection.html.
47 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), E-Commerce and Development Report at 143 (2003), available at http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ecdr2003_en.pdf. See also,
http://www.baconsrebellion.com/Issues/09-09-02/World.htm.
48 AfriConnect is on the web at http://www.africonnect.com/tanzania.htm. 49 Soft-Tech is on the web at http://www.stcl.com.
50 OTF Group, Improving Competitiveness and Increasing Economic Growth in Tanzania: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies, Washington, D.C. (2005), available at
http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.81.html.
51 Uganda Diagnostic Trade Integration Study, Vol. 1 at 139 (June 2006), available at
export-oriented services such as call centers, software development, training, website design, data processing, and consultancy. One such firm is Cayman Consults, a Ugandan company that does bookkeeping and data processing for its clients, mainly North American accounting firms.52 2.1.7.2 Hardware
Some 75,000 computers were sold in Kenya in 2005 (see table below) making it the largest market in East Africa. The country is estimated to have the second highest computer penetration among the Initial Study Countries at one computer per 100 inhabitants.
There is no local manufacturing of computers, but according to a 2004 report, 30 percent of
computers sold in Kenya are locally assembled.53 A recent government-led project unites
computer companies and Kenyan universities to assemble low-cost PCs.54 The Kenyan
computer market has been growing with the abolition of import duties on computers and later on parts.
In 2005, some 35,000 computers were sold in Tanzania. There are no import duties on computer or computer parts. There is no local manufacturing of computers, but some computers are assembled on an on-demand basis.55
Some 28,000 computers were sold in Uganda in 2005. By the end of 2005, penetration of computers in Uganda was estimated at 0.61 per 100 inhabitants, just below the average of 0.65 in the Initial Study Countries (see Table 2-3). There is no local manufacturing of computers; however, computer assembly has grown in Uganda due to the elimination of tariffs on parts and reportedly some are even exported to other Case Study Countries.56
Local manufacture and assembly of computers typically results in less expensive equipment compared to brand names. The lower prices of locally assembled computers can help to raise computer penetration in the country. However, many government agencies and firms are reluctant to purchase unbranded computers.
52 Abubaker, L., “Business Process Outsourcing – A New Name for an Old Business?,” Executive Forum on National Export Strategies, Montreux, Switzerland (Oct. 2005).
53 Krist, W., et al., “Implications for Kenya of Accession to the World Trade Organization's Information Technology Agreement,” USAID East and Central Africa Global Trade Competitiveness Hub (Oct. 7, 2004), available at
http://www.ecatradehub.com/reports/rp.2004.wto.ita.kenya01.asp [Accessed Sept. 13, 2007]. 54 Malakata, M., “Kenya Project Set to Produce Cheap PCs,” Infoworld (Jan. 2007), available at
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/30/HNkenyacheappcs_1.html.
55 Mwakalinga, H., et al., “Implications for Tanzania of Accession to the World Trade Organization’s Information Technology Agreement,” USAID East and Central Africa Global Trade Competitiveness Hub (Apr. 2006). 56 Baguma, R., et al. Trade Implications for Uganda of Accession to the World Trade Organization’s Information Technology Agreement, USAID East and Central Africa Global Trade Competitiveness Hub (Nov. 2004).
Table 2-3: Computer market, 2005 Number of computers in use Total Per 100 inhabitants Number of computers sold Import value (US$ million) Ethiopia 127,623 0.17 19,890 $31 * Kenya 330,965 0.99 74,614 $48 ** Rwanda 25,000 † 0.28 NA $6 * Sudan 600,000 † 1.70 NA $35 Tanzania 154,284 0.41 35,352 $37 Uganda 164,834 0.61 28,322 $35 Total 1,402,706 0.65 NA $193
Note : NA = Not Available. † Estimated from imports over last five years.
* Data refer to 2003. ** Data refer to 2004. Data on “Import value” refer to “AUTOMATC. DATA ROC.EQUIP”(SITC Rev. 3, Code 752) defined as “Automatic data-processing machines and units thereof; magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing data onto data media in coded form and machines for processing such data, n.e.s.”
Source: BMI-T, 2006, UN Comtrade database.