1. What is a Digital Village?

A digital village is basically a computer facility located in rural or peri-urban areas that provides access to ICTs (information and communication technologies) in addition to accelerating the economic and social development of local communities. There are three types of digital village facilities:

• Digital centres – development hubs with 10 to 20 PCs
• Digital schools – educational facilities with 5 to 10 PCs.
• Digital kiosks – commercial facilities with 1 to 5 PCs.

2. Who will own the Digital Villages?

Digital villages are to be owned by individuals or organizations based in the communities where the facilities are to be located. To assist the owners to set-up, expand, and sustain their operations, funding will be obtained from the following sources:

• Commercial banks,
• Youth Fund,
• Womens Fund,
• Investment Groups,
• Constituency Development Funds,
• Other sources.

3. How will Digital Villages make money?

Digital villages are expected to be self-sustaining, that is, earning income to cover their expenses as well as generating profits for future expansion. A digital village will benefit from the following sources of revenues:

• Cyber-cafe: email, browsing, downloading, and uploading.
• Bureau: printing, scanning, copying, CD burning, digital photos, etc.
• Training: computers, business, and technical applications, etc.
• Telephony: air-time, scratch cards, ring tones, phones, etc.
• Outsourcing: data entry for Government and other clients.
• Merchandising: selling products and services to community.
• Franchising: operating businesses on behalf of other organizations.

4. How many Digital Villages are to be established in Kenya?

The Ministry of Information & Communications has set the following targets for digital village facilities in Kenya:

The above targets are to be achieved through various public private partnership (PPP) initiatives under the auspices of the Government's DVP.

5. What is DVP (Digital Village Project)?

The DVP is a Government-driven initiative to take ICTs to the rural areas in Kenya. It seeks to harness the vast untapped potential of the rural sector by making ICTs more accessible and affordable to the wider population through the development and utilization of ICT facilities in the rural areas. The DVP will be implemented by the new Kenya ICT Board under the auspices of the Ministry of Information & Communications and the World Bank through KTCIP.

6. What is KTCIP?

The Kenya Transparency and Communication Infrastructure Project (KTCIP) is a KShs. 7.8 billion (US$ 116 million) joint initiative by the Government of Kenya and The World Bank that will, among other things, support the creation of digital villages in rural and urban areas and accelerate provision of e-Government services as well as facilitate connectivity for the country’s emerging business process outsourcing industry. This project will be managed by the new Kenya ICT Board.

7. How can I participate in the DVP?

The Ministry of Information & Communications has placed several advertisements in the local media for training, connectivity, and other opportunities under KTCIP. Each of these advertisements highlights how individuals and organizations can participate in the DVP. Please visit www.ict.go.ke or www.information.go.ke for more information on DVP.  

8. What is DVN (Digital Village Network)?

The DVN is a megacommunity initiative coordinated by ICTvillage.com to support and sustain a network of digital village facilities all over Kenya. It brings together rural enterprises, telecommunication providers, product vendors, service providers, development partners, and other stakeholders to ensure the success and sustainability of the DVP.

9. Is the DVN funded by Government or Donors?

The DVN is not funded by the Government or Donors. Participation in the DVN is open to all interested organizations in the private, public, and civil sectors upon payment of an annual membership fee. The DVN operates as a megacommunity bringing various individuals and organizations together under one umbrella to achieve common goals.

10. How can I participate in the DVN to set-up or support digital village(s)?

You can participate in the DVN by paying the relevant annual membership fee, after which you are entitled to enjoy several benefits depending on the membership category. Please click here to view or download for more information on membership.

11. How much does it cost to participate in the DVN?

The various categories of membership in the DVN are as follows:

Digital Village Enterprise (DVE) - KShs 4,060/- (VAT inclusive).
Digital Capacity Investor (DCI) - Special Package + Extra Options.
Digital Business Partner (DBP) - KShs 81,200/- (VAT inclusive).
Digital Network Sponsor (DNS) - Special Package + Extra Options.

12. Who is ICTvillage.com?

ICTvillage.com is a membership-driven resource network that seeks to make Kenya the ICT hub of Africa. It is managed and marketed by Idea Factory Limited a business incubator based in Nairobi Kenya. ICTvillage.com fast-tracks ICT initiatives for and on behalf of the ICT sector in Kenya, amongst other activities.

13. Is ICTvillage.com funded by Government or Donors?

ICTvillage.com is not funded by Government or Donors. All its activities are funded through revenues generated from various activities.  We have not received any funding from Government or Donors for any of our initiatives.  We rely on subscriptions from members and other revenue generated from our projects and programs to fund our activities for and on behalf of the ICT sector in Kenya.

14. Can I still be a member of the DVN even if I am not interested in setting up or supporting a Digital Village?

Yes, you can still be a member of the DVN – since there are other ICT initiatives that we are implementing for and on behalf of the ICT sector in Kenya through the Digital Village Network. Please contact us for more information.