Help for the elderly and vulnerable

Marsabit County’s department of Culture, Tourism and Social Services in set aside funds to cater for ageing persons who need relief and are in distress.

According to the Executive member for Tourism Grace Galmo, the county government will give the identified elders a monthly stipend of at least Sh2,000 to supplement the efforts of the national government, which has been assisting them. Galmo says they will work closely with local leaders, elders and ward administrators to identify such old and needy persons.

Vulnerable citizens cushioned from harsh economic times.

 
The elderly will be aided through cash handouts, the provision of their basic needs such as primary health care, shelter and education. The  criteria  for  eligibility  and  to  identification of  the  beneficiaries  from  these  funds  will  be decided by a committee drawn from personnel from the department of Culture and Social Services, in consultation with village elders, local leaders and ward administrators.

The duration of help will also have to be decided, whether it will be one-off help, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-annually or annually. The mode of help will be agreed upon to avoid public outcry over foul play and mischief, and to ensure that no vulnerable persons are left out.“Making the right and wise decisions means our department must meet its obligations by using the funds appropriately and for the rightful beneficiaries. This way we will uplift the living standards of our communities and build their faith and trust in their county government,” Galmo asserts.

Singapore economic ties counties can benefit from

Singapore has emerged as the largest investor in Africa among the ASIAN countries, according to the latest United Nations’ World Investment Report 2013. Located strategically in the heart of Southeast Asia, Singapore’s economic ties with Africa have been on the rise. As of end 2012, Singapore’s investments into Africa saw a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2 per cent over the previous five years, reaching US$15.9 billion.

Singapore-Africa trade has also increased, reaching US$11.1 billion in 2013, achieving a strong CAGR of 11.7 per cent since 2009. According to International Enterprise (IE) Singapore (http://www.iesingapore.com), the Singapore government agency promoting trade and overseas investments, there are currently over 60 Singapore companies operating in over 50 countries in Africa.

Projects span a wide range of sectors from agribusiness, food and beverage and oil and gas, to e-Government services, information and communications technology (ICT), and transport and logistics. Says G Jayakrishnan, group director for Middle East and Africa, IE Singapore: “Singapore companies are taking concrete steps to participate more actively in Africa’s growth.” Given Africa’s significant development needs, we see an opportunity to collaborate and develop long-term solutions in many areas including urban development and planning,      e-Government, oil and gas, transport and logistics, manufacturing and special economic zones, technical and vocational training, power, water and affordable housing.

Business elites at a world business expo exchange ideas on how to
improve global trade.

“Singapore can contribute actively as governments across Africa look to diversify growth and improve both business and social infrastructure for their countries.”  

Potential for increased Africa-Singapore partnerships .Despite Singapore’s limited domestic market and lack of natural resources, the country has progressed from a third to a first world country and developed into a competitive and dynamic business hub.

During its post-independence years, Singapore companies have accumulated extensive experience and capabilities in many sectors including e-Government, urban planning and development, and oil and gas.

e-Government

Singapore’s e-Government journey started in the early 1980s, with the goal of transforming the small city-state into a world-class user of information technology. Today, Singapore is consistently recognised by international benchmarking studies such World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report and the country’s            e-Government projects have garnered international accolades including the Stockholm Challenge Award and the UN Public Service Award.

Sharing its expertise with Africa, CrimsonLogic, a Singapore eSolutions provider, developed an eJudiciary system (Electronic Judiciary) for the Supreme Court and High Courts in Oshakati and Windhoek, Namibia. The new system enabled the judiciary to effectively file court documents and manage case activities electronically, and digitally record court proceedings.

Urban planning and development

Constrained by land space, Singapore has paid careful attention to the efficient use of land through long-term urban planning since its early stages of development. This has enabled Singapore to manage challenges that many rapidly growing cities face, such as outages of power and water, insufficient public  housing,  sanitation  and waste  treatment,  and  traffic  congestion. From a water-scarce nation faced with acute housing shortage, Singapore has grown into a world leader in the field of integrated water management with quality homes and living environments.

Today, 100 per cent of Singapore’s population has access to drinking water and modern sanitation facilities while over 90 per cent Singaporeans possess their own homes – this is one of the highest rate of home ownership in the world. Singapore companies have exported these solutions to Africa, such as Sembcorp Silulumanzi projects in Ballito and Mbombela municipalities, which provide safe drinking water and wastewater treatment.

Oil and gas

In the oil and gas sector, Singapore is one of the biggest refining centres in the world and home to many oil and gas equipment manufacturers and distributors. As the world leader in the construction of offshore equipment such as jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, and floating production storage and  offloading  services,   

Singapore companies such as Keppel Offshore & Marine, Sembcorp Marine, RK Offshore, and Pacific Radiance, are presently providing these services to Africa.

Singapore – the gateway to Asia

For African companies looking to expand into Asia, Singapore can also be the ideal launch pad. We are the world’s easiest place to do business and Asia’s most competitive country. Over 7,000 multinational companies have set up in Singapore, with more than 50 per cent using Singapore as their regional headquarters.

Tapping ICT benefits for development

Information Communication Technology (ICT) continues to make a major impact on economies, education and development. The newly devolved systems in Kenya are fast adopting 21st Century technologies to improve the living standards of their people.

Marsabit county executive for ICT, Ms Hawo Abdullah, says it is almost impossible to operate manually in today’s digitalised world. “It would be like trying to apply 18th Century life tools in the 21st Century,” she observes.“For that reason, the county government has embarked on a comprehensive ICT infrastructure development programme that will see most if not all our operations digitalised,” she adds.

The Governor’s office in Marsabit is already connected to the fibre optic line at a cost of Sh200000 and soon the service will be extended to other critical government offices and departments. The administration is also in negotiations with a local mobile telephone service operator to provide the physical infrastructure for an electronic revenue collection platform.

The establishment of this infrastructure is expected to boost revenue collection by up to 90 per cent from the current paltry 25 per cent. Safaricom Ltd is likely to provide the physical infrastructure and technical support for the switch to an electronic revenue collection system from the current manual system.

Under the new system, a hand-held device to record all transactions will be provided to officers in the field and other outer offices. The device will then transmit all transaction data to a main server at the county’s treasury at the headquarters in Marsabit town. 

The ICT rollout will be carried out in all county establishments next year. “Given the harsh terrain and lack of transport infrastructure, we have no choice but to turn to ICT to achieve our development agenda,” Hawo says.

Girls in an  ICT room

Marsabit County  experiences  difficulties in collecting information, especially data from sub-county offices and at the ward levels due to the poor road network and lack of connectivity .“Our officers must travel  long  distances in difficult conditions to transmit this data. Most have to make this difficult journey to do simple things like applying for leave. However with ICT, it will only take an email to do this. The rollout started at the headquarters will be cascaded down to the ward level to ease communication,” adds Hawo.

Youth enterprises will be involved in the ICT rollout to fast-track development. “We do not just see ICT as a tool for communication, but we will also utilize technology as a tool for development by encouraging youths to join the sector as business entrepreneurs,” she says.

The technology, she says will also come in handy in sectors such as health and security through the quick  and  efficient sharing of information. The county is also in negotiations with another ICT provider, Orange Telkom, to fast-track other development projects.