Every week in Kenya these days there are remarkable events or news  in the tech front and it interesting if you are observer or real participant.  Last week was not any difference. The big news came with Nokia Siemens Network, the global telecommunications enabler , inaugurating its head office for its Africa Operations in Nairobi.

As part of the renewed focus on the African continent, NSN has recently restructured and separated its Africa operations. “The African market is growing at a strong pace and we felt the need to provide additional focus to support this growth. We already have a strong base of operations in Morocco and South Africa to support the region. Our head office in Kenya will strengthen our operations in the continent to deliver superior services to our customers,” says Dimitri, the recently appointed head of African operations for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).

This might look little in the face value but for a long time i have always been mad at companies which lump Africa together with Middle East. If you look at it critically Sub Saharan Africa was never in the picture for these companies. You see when they say Africa and middle East, they are basically saying North Africa (Arab populations) and Middle East. During KenyaFeb28 debate in Kenya after the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, i said it clearly that Kenya is noway like North African countries.  Nobody should ever expect what happens in Tunisia or Egypt to be automatically translated in Kenya due to many many many factors. The same applies to almost all the Sub Saharan African countries. So when you take Africa and put it together with Middle East, i wonder what exactly you are trying to say.  Kudos to Nokia Siemens Network for seeing the lights in good time.

Local Talents

One of the reason why NSN chose Kenya is coz of the great pool of the human talents.  I can testify to that but also i have many questions to Kenyans. Yesterday  I attended a meeting for the newly launched #aminaseries under the banner Intervangelist. I met a number of guys behind the series and i was very impressed. we have very smart young people in Kenya, and i repeat very smart. But always wonder why as a country we lag behind in so many aspect. Why are these smart young people not showing the direction to the general population. Yeah yeah the politicians and the old guards! I think that excuse is very convenient for many but never the real reason. Since when do smart men and women just sit back and  leave the people without clear direction to spoil their country?  I think it is high time we translate being smart and talking smart to something tangible!

Anyway on the selection of Kenya for its head office, Alain Van Hemelen, Kenya Country Director for NSN, says, “We have chosen to set up our new headquarters in Kenya as the country provides a central location for travel, has a well-educated pool of local talent and a sturdy telecommunications infrastructure. Nokia Siemens Networks has expanded their Kenyan staff compliment from 109 employees in 2009 to 220 employees in 2010. We have chosen to draw on the local pool of talent to increase our headcount, rather than bring in experts from other countries. We are also in the process of recruiting a further 30 employees to the operation by mid-2011. With these additional staff members and our projected business growth in the region, we expect to employ 300 people by 2012.”