Use tech well to lift productivity for Vision 2030

The government of Kenya in 2008 unveiled a blueprint for achieving middle-income economy status within two decades dubbed Vision 2030.

The plan has three main pillars to guide it; the economic pillar, the social pillar and the political pillar. Since then, we have seen many flagship activities and projects launched, among them the Madaraka Express.

Vision 2030 defined a middle-income economy as one with a per capita income of between $1,045 and $12,736.

When this grand vision was launched, Kenya’s per capita income stood at $902.07, according to statistics from the World Bank. Fast forward to 2018 and that figure has risen to $1710.51. That is a rise of roughly $800, which is nearly double the original figure. However, in the grander scheme of things, that amount is still too close to the lower end of the scale as it is only just within the middle-income economy range.

As a country, we therefore have just over a decade to have broken the barriers hindering our growth. One instrument that is bringing itself to the fore as a driver for the Vision 2030 pillars is technology.

Technology is integrating itself into everyday life and changing the way we do things. Government agencies are now using technology to make their processes more efficient. Today, taxes are filed online, passport applications are done online, even driving licenses are applied for through an online portal.

E-commerce and online shopping are also slowly becoming the norm with Kenya’s bulging middle class.

Another aspect being revolutionised by technology is transportation. Apps have changed how we move around and overtaken the traditional transportation models.

Seven years ago, taking a taxi meant either calling your regular guy or walking to the nearest taxi rank to negotiate your price with the first driver you encountered. That price could shift in a matter of hours and you were never guaranteed to pay the same price for the same distance.

Then entered ride-hailing apps and that model was turned on its head.

Currently, extensive traffic jams are a mainstay on Kenyan roads during morning and evening rush hour.

Distances that can be covered in about 20 minutes, without the gridlock, take between one and two hours. That extra time is wasted productivity that could be used to contribute to the growth of the economy and push it closer to the upper reaches of the middle-income economy bracket.

That therefore begs the question of “what is the solution for this problem?”. The direct answer is less time spent on the road.

The way to achieve this is by building an efficient mass transit system which reduces the number of vehicles on the road but at the same time meets the needs of the growing commuter space. The mass transit sector is also at the advent of a technological disruption with shuttle-hailing apps injecting order, convenience, efficiency.