IDG News Service —
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki laid the foundation for the Sameer Business Park in Nairobi at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, reaffirming the government's commitment to making Kenya a regional technology hub.
Scheduled to be operational by December 2009, the ICT business park will provide high-quality jobs and expand the portfolio of industries in Kenya, the president said.
"Under the Vision 2030 flagship projects, the government will invest in a Business Process Outsourcing [BPO] park in Nairobi with world-class infrastructure geared towards attracting global business to Kenya," he added.
The 2.2 billion Kenyan shilling (US$29.3 million) business park is under construction at the Sameer offices along Nairobi's Mombasa Road. The park covers 700 meters, with over 500,000 square feet of offices, show rooms, a coffee lounge and parking facilities for over 600 cars, as well as helicopter landing facilities.
"Diversification and expansion of our product line will boost business operations, create more jobs and optimize immense opportunities ICT presents for Business Process Outsourcing," said Naushad Merali, chairman of Sameer Business Park.
Kibaki emphasized that Kenya's ongoing investment in infrastructure will position the country as a center for BPO once regional trading blocs open up the continent for trade.
The East Africa Community and the Common Markets for East and Central Africa have already expressed interest in collaborating on ICT activities in the region.


