Kenyans Ahead of Russians & Britons in Embracing Tech – UN Report

 Twenty-five-year-old Kenyan engineer and innovator, Roy Allela, has created a set of gloves that will ultimately allow better communication between those who are deaf and those who are hearing
Kenyan engineer and innovator, Roy Allela, created a set of gloves that will allow better communication between those who are deaf and those who can hear
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A new report prepared by an organ of the United Nations has shown Kenyans to be ahead of their counterparts in Britain and Russia, when it comes to adopting new technologies. 

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)'s Technology and Innovation Report 2021, Kenya is a leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.

The rankings were based on how the countries used the 4IR technologies to address different challenges when per capita income was weighed against the ability to adopt modern technology.

The report ranked Kenya fourth in Africa after South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco. The four countries also appeared in the top twenty of Third World nations that have recorded digital success.

Kenya tied with Nepal as they overperformed by 28 positions hence beating Russia and the United Kingdom. Russia overperformed by 24 positions while the United Kingdom overperformed by 21 positions.

 Kenya is above first world countries like Russia and Britain in the utilization of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.
The report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), ranked Kenya above first world countries like Russia and Britain in the utilization of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.
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The success of Kenya, which is known as Africa's Silicon Savannah, has been attributed to a technological ecosystem that boasts of more than 55 tech hubs.

India was ranked highest with an actual index was 43. India qualified by 65 ranking positions followed by the Philippines which had 57 ranking positions.

India performed well in research and development which was mainly attributed to the availability of qualified and highly skilled human resources available at a low cost.

The report scores countries depending on their readiness for frontier technologies based on five building blocks.

The building blocks are Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) deployment, Research and Development (R&D), skills, industry activity and access to finance.

The 4IR technologies include the Internet of things, Big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, 5G, 3D printing, drones, nanotechnologies, solar photovoltaic and robotics.

The UNCTAD urged developing countries to align science, technology and innovation (STI) policies with industrial policies so as to catch up with countries that performed well.

“Governments should also seek to connect everyone online, focusing on the farthest behind, as frontier technologies demand greater digitalization and connectivity. They should provide incentives and subsidies not just for internet access but also for the devices through which people get connected,” the survey recommended.

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Computers in a laboratory
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