The fundamentals are in place for Kenya’s BPO services to become the largest export industry. Kenya provides low-cost, high-speed internet connectivity throughout the East African region via eight submarine fiber optic cables.
As a result, internet penetration in Kenya has increased to 46%, making Kenya the regional leader in information and communication technologies (ICT). The fiber optic cables ensure secure high-speed internet and flexible digital connection options, which power service providers such as BPO and other businesses heavily reliant on ICT.
Kenya has a large availability of highly skilled, English-speaking talent who speak with a more neutral accent than those in India, the Philippines, and other locations. The neutral Kenyan accent makes its citizens suitable for call center jobs and other client-facing outsourcing duties.
Compared to Western countries, labor in Kenya is cheap and can potentially reduce the operational costs of global source market companies. Kenya’s growing pool of skilled digital freelancers accredited to the Ajira Digital Program. As of 2022, a national survey estimated that 1,933,011 million digital Kenyans were working as freelancers in the digital gig economy (up from 677,961 workers in 2020).