ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo was on Thursday, February 8, appointed to serve as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Global Digital Innovation Board.
Owalo was appointed alongside 18 other top government officials from other countries. Among those appointed alongside the CS included the Bahrain Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, and Japan Vice Minister in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Others included Nigeria's Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Pakistan's Minister of Information, Technology and Telecommunication, UN's Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, and Assistant Secretary-General among others.
The Board is expected to provide strategic guidance, expertise and advocacy regarding the agency's mission of building critical local enablers and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in digital development.
The board is also set to lead dialogues on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in digital development with relevant stakeholders and prospective partners, including UN agencies, governments and the private sector.
“The Digital Innovation Board is one of the vehicles of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development under the ITU, aimed at accelerating the bridging of the digital innovation divide," read part of a statement by the Ministry of ICT.
"It also provides support to ITU members on their journey towards an equitable digital future for all,” read part of a statement by the Ministry of ICT.
CS Owalo while addressing a delegation in Nairobi on Monday, February 5, stated that the government had already identified its key ICT priorities and that it was counting on it to address various societal challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, and public delivery constraints.
According to Owalo, the digital transformation agenda also included building a resilient infrastructure through enhancing digital skills for digital jobs," the CS stated.
Owalo further noted, that connecting people through public Wi-Fi and creating an enabling legal, policy, and regulatory environment for entrepreneurship were part of the government's initiative to promote innovation.
"The Government of Kenya lauds the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) for convening this workshop to ensure that Africa is not only prepared to effectively participate in WTSA-24 but also speaks with one voice," the Ministry of ICT stated.
"We are equally grateful to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for allowing regional coordination of common proposals in readiness for the standard-setting and treaty-making conference and for supporting this meeting with experts."
