On the 23rdrd of May 2024, President William Ruto’s Kenya (which was named the Africa’s Silicon Savannah) makes one official state visit in the United States of America, home of Silicon Valley.
It’s the first official visit by a President of Kenya in the last two decades, facilitated and manufactured by the Ambassador Meg Whitman, who was one of the titans of Silicon Valley but is currently serving as US Ambassador to Kenya.
Last year, Whitman guest President Ruto will tour Silicon Valley as a precursor to today’s visit to support technology investments in Kenya and Africa.
Kenya leads it KINGS countries (Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa) who are pioneers of the digital economy in Africa. Chanzo Capital launched the KINGS fund to invest in these countries to build and expand the digital economy in Africa.
Whitman is determined to be the ambassador who delivers on the US commitment to prioritize business in Africa. This is because the US is talking about expanding its operations in Africa, while China has taken the lead in dealing with Africa through the “Belt and Road Initiative”.
As part of an initiative called “Why Africa, Why Kenya,” Whitman has become an evangelist for the idea that American businesses should consider the host country and its continent as a business destination.
“I came to Silicon Valley to highlight the Kenyan government’s strategic intent to support, through infrastructure and other investments, the strengthening of Kenya’s position as the epicenter of Africa’s innovation and technological transformation,” Ruto said last year.
Whitman who is worth $3.4 billion according to Forbes, is best known for taking eBay from $5.7 million to $8 billion in sales as CEO from 1998 to 2008. She later became chairman and CEO consultant to Hewlett-Packard Co.P from 2011 to 2015 and oversaw its split into HP Inc and Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE). She stepped down as CEO of HPE in 2018 and served on the boards of Procter & Gamble and General Motors before becoming an ambassador in 2022.
According Nii Simmondsnon-resident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Geotechnology, US companies such as Microsoft, Google and IBM are is expanding rapidly in Africa by making huge investments in infrastructure and innovation. Microsoft just announced a $1 billion investment in Kenya’s digital ecosystem.
Simmonds reckons”The time is ripe for a new, bolder partnership between the US and Africa. Biden and Ruto are right to call for a transition from a relationship based on aid to one that promotes sustainable economic growth and increased trade, laying the groundwork for both a growing manufacturing sector in Africa and a clean energy revolution in the US, however, achieving this goal will they require a deliberate strategy to entice US multinationals to invest more in the continent.”
“The opportunities for greater investment in the US should be obvious. By 2050, Kenya and other African countries will see a significant influx of new workers, offering US manufacturers a valuable labor force that can often perform the same or higher quality work at a lower cost than what Chinese workers require. With population approaching 1.5 billionprojected to reach 2.5 billion, Africa will likely also increase its share of world trade and manufacturing.
This growth will create skilled jobs and increase purchasing power for goods and services similar to developed economies, creating new markets for American-made products“.
I agree with Simmonds that Africa has what the US needs and vice versa. With the visit of Whitman and President Ruto, Silicon Valley could establish a mutually beneficial relationship with Silicon Savannah.
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