Samsung to be Part of Proposed Konza ICT Park – Where Africa’s Silicon Savannah Begins
Electronics giant Samsung has confirmed that it will be part of the proposed Technopolist/ICT City that is coming up in Konza, Machakos, Kenya. Samsung is expected to set up a research facility on the premises once the place is open for business. Companies like Samsung, IBM and others are keen to establish themselves in the technopolis with particular interest in the Science Park section.
Model View of proposed Technopolist/ICT City to be constructed in Konza.
This section will also be adjacent to an International Financial Center that Treasury will set up to rival Dubai’s IFC. Universities including our own University of Nairobi are also said to be eager to establish facilities there. Going by the model seen by Star Tech, there will also be a mall which again has attracted intense lobbying and competition as to who will develop and probably be the anchor tenant.
The entire 5000 acre complex is to have to artificial rivers that flow into water reservoirs meant to serve the whole city. The Ministry of Tourism will spearhead and Hotel and Recreational facilities development with international hotel groups said to be interested proprietors of the outlets that will come up. A proposal is there to set up a stadium where European and South African teams can play friendly matches during their summer off-season tours.
- Street Model view of the proposed Technopolist City
Currently, geographical surveys are being carried out on scene while the National Youth Service is cutting out the roads that will be there. Government is partnering with the World Bank to do the initial assessments and possibly arrange funding. Samsung confirmed its participation this week during a function to launch the world’s first solar powered netbook. Malili will follow similar “smart villages” created in Malaysia (Cyberjaya) and China (Shenzhen), Smart Village Cairo, another comparison model, has 120 companies and 20,000 local and expatriate technology professionals in their city, and expects to expand more by 2011. For more information, please visit the proposed Konza ICT Park website.