Public Service boss urges African firms to adopt tech for global competitiveness

ANDREW HINGA- KNA

The Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, has urged African nations to harness technology to enhance product quality, unlock access to global markets, and drive both national and regional development.

Speaking in Mombasa during the opening of the 5th Regional Quality Conference organized by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Koskei said digital transformation is redefining quality management across industries.

The three-day regional conference was held under the theme, “Future by Design: Shaping Leadership, Technology, and Culture for Regional Resilience.”

He noted that artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, digital traceability systems, and smart manufacturing technologies are enabling organizations to monitor quality in real time, identify risks early, and continuously improve processes.

The firms that integrate these technologies today will define the industrial leaders of tomorrow,” he stated.

Koskei underscored the need for leaders to design resilient economies capable not only of growth but also of adapting to rapid technological disruption, climate pressures, geopolitical shifts, and evolving global markets.

“The message is clear: in the twenty-first century, nations that succeed will not be those that react to change; they will be those that design systems strong enough to shape it.

And if we look carefully at countries that have mastered this art, we discover something interesting: behind every globally competitive economy lies a quiet but powerful foundation- an uncompromising commitment to quality,” he said.

The Chief of Staff explained that South Korea in 1960 was recovering from war, with a GDP per capita of USD 156, and few observers at the time would have predicted that within two generations it would become one of the most technologically advanced economies in the world.