IBM to invest in Kenya research lab

image source: www.cuea.edu
Kenya’s ambitions to become Africa’s information-technology hub have received a boost from the US technology giant IBM, which is establishing a research laboratory in Nairobi’s Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

The project announced on Monday is a joint venture, with the Kenyan government’s ICT Board and IBM each contributing $10m of funding over the next five years. While the Kenyan government will cover overheads and local research staff, IBM will provide technology, senior scientists and access to intellectual property for the project which will come into operation in September.

A memorandum of understanding was signed at a ceremony in Nariobi by IBM Global Chief Executive Officer, Ginni Rometty, and Kenya’s president Mwai Kibaki, who claimed the scheme would make Kenya an “IT leader on the African continent”. Read more