The digital economy is a transformative force that offers immense opportunities for economic growth, innovation, and job creation. However, it also poses some challenges and risks, such as the need to adapt to changing technologies, regulations, and consumer preferences. To address these issues, the Government of Kenya and Sama, a leading provider of data annotation solutions for AI models, have announced a partnership to work together to create an enabling environment for the digital sector in Kenya.
The Need for Policy Reforms
One of the main challenges facing the digital economy in Kenya is the lack of alignment between the current labour laws and the realities of the digital sector. The existing labour laws were formulated in 2007, when the digital economy was not fully envisioned. As a result, they do not adequately address the needs and rights of workers and employers in the digital sector, such as flexible working hours, fair compensation, data protection, and social security.
According to Dr. Juma Mukhawana, the Principal Secretary State Department for Industrialization, the Government acknowledges this gap and is keen to work with industry stakeholders to modify these laws to suit the needs of the digital sector. He made these remarks during a site visit to Sama’s offices in Nairobi, where he met with Sama’s Director of Global Service Delivery Lilian Kiplang’at and other representatives from the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.
Dr. Mukhawana said that the Government is committed to collaborating with the private sector to create a conducive business environment for the digital economy, in line with the Kenya Kwanza administration Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). He said that the Government recognizes the potential of the digital sector to create jobs for the youth and contribute to the country’s economic development.
The Role of Sama in the Digital Economy
Sama is a global leader in providing high-quality data annotation solutions that power AI models for various industries, such as automotive, retail, agriculture, and gaming. Sama has been operating in Kenya for 15 years and has created over 4,000 formal jobs for Kenyans, especially women and youth from low-income backgrounds.
Sama’s data annotation services help AI developers train their models to perform tasks such as object detection, image segmentation, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis. Some of the use cases of Sama’s data annotation solutions include self-driving cars, virtual reality gaming consoles, fashion segmentation, and crop disease protection.
Sama is also at the forefront of innovation in the data annotation industry. Recently, Sama unveiled Platform 2.0, a computer vision platform that reduces the risk of machine learning algorithm failures. The platform consists of three components: SamaIQ™, SamaAssure™ and SamaHub™. SamaIQ™ is a proprietary tool that enables clients to manage their data annotation projects from end to end. SamaAssure™ is a quality assurance system that guarantees a 99% client acceptance rate for AI training data. SamaHub™ is a cloud-based platform that connects clients with Sama’s global network of data annotators.
Sama’s Director of Global Service Delivery Lilian Kiplang’at said that Sama is proud to be part of Kenya’s digital economy and welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Government to create policies that foster a competitive and inclusive digital sector. She said that Sama has the potential to create thousands of jobs by 2024 with the right operating environment.
The Future of the Digital Economy in Kenya
The partnership between the Government of Kenya and Sama is a positive step towards enhancing the growth and sustainability of the digital economy in Kenya. By working together to address the policy gaps and challenges facing the digital sector, they can create a win-win situation for both workers and employers in the digital economy. They can also leverage on Kenya’s talent pool and infrastructure to position Kenya as a digital powerhouse and a key player in the global digital economy.
Read: Don’t Miss the Exciting World Rugby U20 Trophy Play-Offs in Kenya
