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Google Setting Up a Presence In Kenya
Posted by
kdawson
on Tue Jun 26, 2007 04:25 PM
from the out-of-the-comfort-zone dept.
from the out-of-the-comfort-zone dept.
Reader wana forwards the news that Google is establishing a base in Sub-Saharan Africa. What advanced infrastructure exists on the African continent is mostly in South Africa, and a blogger from there speculates on what Google might have been thinking in choosing Kenya over SA.
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Number one search? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Number one search? (Score:5, Informative)
Nonetheless the literacy rate is over 90% and the average GDP (PPP) is $1,200... so combined with the inequality between rich and poor you can expect to find some well educated people in the cities. Probably enough for Google's needs, or else they wouldn't be building there!
Investment is also one way to boost the economy of a country. Give them jobs and skills, the rest will follow. Even a market for adwords.
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The frightening thing is that part of me thinks this isn't as far fetched as it might sound at first blush. They have, after all, been getting kind of questionable of late.
Kenya is at the forefront of e Africa ICT rev... (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:Kenya is at the forefront of e Africa ICT rev.. (Score:2)
Life expectancy isn't always a good predictor (Score:5, Interesting)
Are food and water a problem? Sometimes, sure. But, the bigger problems are child mortality and AIDS. That's what's making the life expectancy a paltry 55.
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Re:Number one search? (Score:5, Interesting)
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You call those negatives? (Score:3, Informative)
Corruption is not just rife, its a way of life. Police are the worst. However, one can avoid most corruption by learning how to work the system. Particularly it is possible to get things done by getting to know the right people.
Nairobi has a growth rate of 5% a year, perhaps more. It will be a mega city in 20 years. The fact is that you can either look at IT competence, lack of safety, or rampant corruption as a negative, or you can look at it as an
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
They evaluated (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Why Kenya? (Score:5, Funny)
Kenya (Score:5, Funny)
only in kenya
come to kenya we've got Google!
Space Elevator (Score:4, Funny)
I think you mean (Score:2)
About geography (Score:2, Funny)
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No (Score:2)
If you wanted an African base, then South Africa is a lot easier to travel to (more airlines etc) and has far better infrastructure.
WTF does Google want to do in Africa anyway? If they want to access programmers etc, then they should target South Africa which holds probably 95+% of the African programmer talent.
All your Sub-Saharan Countries Are Belong To Us (Score:5, Insightful)
Google is simply moving into a country that is on the technology curve, but behind enough that they can have MAJOR influence over new policy. Imagine having your own government to run. Who wouldn't do it?
... Seriously though, what other search / advertising players have taken the 2nd and 3rd world economies seriously at all? If this "test" goes well for them, they could have a major head start at monetizing the internet in the rest of the world (Where most of the population is). Remember for a lot of people, AOL *was* the internet. Now imagine in 10 years that 4/5ths of the worlds population thinks that Google is the internet. Everything else will cease to be relevant.
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Remember for a lot of people, AOL *was* the internet...Now imagine in 10 years that 4/5ths of the worlds population thinks that Google is the internet. Everything else will cease to be relevant
Yes, because AOL drove all their competition out of the market so very thoroughly.
My guess is that Google's trying to tap otherwise untapped markets for talent. It's advertising for south african jobs and it's setting up in the middle of the continent rather than the southern tip. With Google's resources, they should be able to attract anyone with mathematical skills in the (well educated) country and its neighbors. They can do this while building up the African economies and tech base, which will open
Re:All your Sub-Saharan Countries Are Belong To Us (Score:4, Insightful)
The only problem with this scenario is why would Google do this? First, I don't see how Google would have enough resources to do this. Second, it doesn't help their business. And I don't see compelling public good present either.
Microsoft. And keep in mind, there's local business as well. The big US search engines and advertisers aren't the only ones on the planet.
Now imagine in 10 years that 4/5ths of the worlds population thinks that Google is the internet. Everything else will cease to be relevant.
Sounds nice, but what does Google get out of it? Remember they already dominate in global advertising and have laid the infrastructure for keeping that position. My take is that Google is just setting up server farms and fiber network like they do in the US and elsewhere. They just started in Kenya because local conditions were more favorable than in South Africa. I don't see some deep strategy here (well no deeper than building more of their sophisticated infrastructure) nor do I see the need for it.Parent
They still need one more site... (Score:2)
GPO Official: Ankwat i odr inkerat Gobi Desert dot com...
SUBTITLE: 'THIS NEW SERVER COMPLETES THE ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE GOBI DESERT'
GPO Official: Ik artwar, hyaddin... (etc.)
SUBTITLE: 'GOOGLE.COM IS NOW IN A POSITION TO ACHIEVE COMPLETE WORLD DOMINATION'
Google's plan for world dominance... (Score:2)
2. Open facility in place known for making good, strong coffee.
3. Dangle said coffee in front of programmers noses.
4. Move programmers to Kenya
5. ???
6. Profit!
How will they power this? (Score:3, Interesting)
On a related topic, maybe Google will actually pay attention to Google Maps for Kenya, and especially Nairobi?
MAMBA (Score:2)
Anyhoo, after South Africa and Egypt, Kenia is the most developed country in Africa and also one of the most peaceful and stable.
Future OB comment?? (Score:2)
Nope, it just doesn't flow right...
Network security? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy though, because if you don't treat the Kenyan employees like full-fledged employees with full privileges, it will probably cause resentment and make them even more likely to take bribes, etc.
I wonder if this is a consideration for them.
a few very good reasons (Score:3, Interesting)
2 Google could buy the IT/Infrastructure
3 Built in security (lions and other savan predators)
4 OLPC start node
Forget Norway (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/ [weebls-stuff.com]
So it was google all along! (Score:2, Insightful)
If youre going to buy a government (Score:3, Interesting)
The GDP of south africa is 201 billion, The GDP of Kenya is 17 billion, the Net worth of Google 150 billion.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Good News for Africa (Score:4, Insightful)
Kenya makes a lot of sense (Score:5, Informative)
It's run by Telkom in South Africa. Telkom has close ties with the government to kill all IT development and competition in the country. As a result, SAT3 is only 5% utilities and costs more than satelite broadband. South Africa is where broad band goes to die.
Kenya is opening up their markets and allowing competition. This year and next, they are going to be building 3 or 4 cables through Kenya. Right now the plan is for three down the coast and one through Sudan.
Tanzania has a fiber network. Zambia is building a fiber network. Botswana has a fiber network. Uganda and Burundi are building networks. It's an exciting time for Africa.
Every year African businesses spend $4 billion on Satelite. That money leaves the economy forever instead of paying for univesities and hospitals.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I do feel Google's decision was a bit short-sighted though, as from Nov 2007 Telkom's (SA Telco monopoly) SAT3 exclusivity agreement will end along with its decade long tranny of all international fibre into SA. Other players (Neotel, Vodacom
google in kenya (Score:5, Insightful)
Politics and stability? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Only in Kenya (Score:4, Funny)
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/ [weebls-stuff.com]
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Re:fairplay (Score:5, Funny)
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You know what's wierd (Score:5, Interesting)
until I was 35, almost nobody I knew or worked with drank coffee. I wonder if it is a fallout from the dot com era of everyone working late nighters for start ups.
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Re:You know what's wierd (Score:5, Informative)
Geeks don't work late because of any dot-com bubble, but because we like the quiet and because the work is too exciting to leave.
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Re:You know what's wierd (Score:4, Interesting)
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I went to a hotel there and we were advised not to walk on the street at any
Re:Why not Kenya? (Score:4, Interesting)
I went to a hotel there and we were advised not to walk on the street at any time, night or day.
Well, I've been to Nairobi, and it's quite similar - all homes in Karen and Langata (the rich suburbs of Nairobi) are small fortresses, with alarms, barbed wire, fences and dogs. You see askaris (armed policemen) everywhere in downtown Nairobi, and, when arriving at a hotel, they inspect the underside of your car for bombs. And from what I read, Nairobi and Jo'burg take turns being the crime capital of Africa. Especially lately, because of the war in neighboring Somalia, armed robbery and other attacks have grown a lot.
But except for the crime problem (which is worst in Nairobi), and for the widespread corruption (which you'll find almost everywhere in Africa) Kenya is a great place to visit, and one of the more advanced countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The education levels are fairly high, you see lots of schools everywhere, even in the impoverished countryside areas. So Google's decision to go to Kenya isn't totally unreasonable.
Parent
FYI (Score:2)
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