Africa: Kenya’s Global ICT Ranking Goes Six Positions Up

Kenya has moved six positions up in this year’s ICT Network Readiness Index revealed at this year’s World Economic Forum in Cape Town.

Last year, Kenya held the 92nd position and moved up to the 85th position, coming in as the fifth country in Africa after South Africa at position, 75, Morocco at 78, Tunisia at 81 and Rwanda at position 83 globally.

The report showed that big economies in Africa like South Africa and Nigeria fell in rankings and only Kenya showed yearly improvement. For instance South Africa fell from 70 to 75th position this year and Nigeria lost ground to be 119th position from 112 achieved previously.

Kenya’s growth has been attributed to the developments that have been witnessed in the country’s ICT sector.

“In 2013, among the 25 low-income countries studied, five had a penetration rate above 10% and only one–Kenya–had a rate exceeding 20%. Kenya liberalised its telecommunications sector in the late 1990s and created the Kenya Internet Exchange Point in 2002,” the report said