COUNTRY FOCUS : KENYA
With Kenya now embracing a digital economy as the foundation for creating an empowered society , a recent cross-country survey has highlighted the uptake of digital devices and services in areas beyond mobile money for supporting livelihoods , e-commerce and e-governance .
Digital devices and services Kenyan lives and livelihoods
Aerial view of Nairobi , capital of Kenya
Digital devices and services have improved the daily lives of 84 % of Kenyans – while nearly one third said that it had boosted their incomes . These are among the key findings of a unique cross-country survey that provides a comprehensive and timely assessment of how Kenya ’ s aggressive investments in core digital infrastructure are having an impact at the level of individual Kenyans .
“ With Kenya now embracing the digital economy as the foundation for creating an empowered society , it ’ s critical to capture how that is currently playing out in the everyday digital experience of Kenyans across the country ,” said Naoko Koyama of Dalberg Advisors . Koyama is the lead author of a report : Kenya ’ s Digital Economy : A People ’ s Perspective which has been funded by the Omidyar Network .
“ Given Kenya ’ s role as a regional leader in digital penetration and usage , we recognise the importance of capturing Kenyans ’ perception on access , usage and impact of digital devices and services on their social and economic lives ,” she said .
The survey highlights uptake in areas beyond mobile money including usage of digital services for supporting livelihoods , e-commerce and e-governance . The Study reveals that 94 % of Kenyans use mobile money and 27 % use e-governance services , while 45 % anticipate that the Huduma Namba will improve access to and usage of digital services .
The report is based on responses to a nationally representative survey conducted between November and December 2021of more than 2,400 Kenyans . This
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