Kenya’s much anticipated technology innovation plan branded as Konza Technology City has received a major boost after HR & A Advisor clinched the deal for running it in an ongoing forum at Kenyatta International Conference Centre in the country’s capital Nairobi.
The US-based company got the better of five other bidder’s comprising AECOM International Development of Finland, New-York’s SHoP Architects, Swedish Sweco and Korean International Dohwa Consulting Engineers.
The World Bank and the International Finance Cooperation facilitated the project’s tendering process.
HR & A Advisor Company’s main objective would be to release a clear business plan consisting of a partnership document of investors and the government will work in facilitating the project.
Information and communication permanent secretary Dr. Bitange Ndemo made the announcement yesterday, at a KICC event scheduled to end tomorrow, as the government disclosed it was putting up a Sh16 billion dam to supply Konza City with water.
Konza City, also known as Africa’s Silicon Savannah, will offer economic, technological and cultural progress thus competing with world’s major metropolitan cities.
It will have science park, information communication and technology (ICT) centre, residential place, business or shopping centre, leisure and educational facilities.
Dr. Ndemo also announced that the Swedish government had won the subcontract for building a science park in the technopolis given its past experience in coming up with science parks and wooing investors.
He hopes the park’s construction process will start from October 2012 at a cost of US$10 billion under the control of Konza City Development Authority (KTDA), as the technopolis’ regulatory body.
Currently, investors from Europe, US, Asia and Africa are discussing on ways of utilizing available opportunities in the country’s first technology city.
Already, China’s Shanghai (Group) Corporation for Foreign Economic & Technological Cooperation (SFECO) has proposed to set up roads, water and other social facilities.
Smart Villages of Egypt and Korea Business Center among others have shown interest.
If the project goes through, it will create employment opportunities in business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology-enabled services (BPO/ITES) as well as improve the country’s socio-economic status.
Kenyan government has since allocated 5,000 acres of land in Machakos County, between Mombasa and Nairobi City, for construction of the tech city.
