Kenya has seen enormous economic growth during the last few years and is now officially a middle-income country. In order to sustain this growth, however, digital innovation and efficient service delivery need to be a priority.

This is why the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is partnering with SAP to implement a core technology software called SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

SAP was created in Germany in 1972 with the goal of transforming information technology. The company is the world leader in enterprise software and software-related services. It now has locations in more than 130 countries.

SAP in Africa is implementing a business process management software called ERP, allowing organizations to use a system of integrated applications to manage its business. ERP integrates product planning, development, manufacturing, sales and marketing into a single database.

Benefits of ERP include scalability, improved reporting and data quality, lower cost of operations and better customer relations. This is crucial to maintaining an efficient, flexible and uncorrupted e-government whose decisions are backed up with verifiable data.

The KRA is now the first east African company to adopt SAP ERP’s technology. The programs SAP will implement are expected to scale, accelerate and revolutionize decision-making and business management. Each government process in Kenya will now depend on a program called SAP HANA.

The goal of SAP HANA is to simplify the IT environment through data integration into a single, in-memory platform. This simplifies the time-consuming data management tasks and makes it possible for IT departments to focus more on technology innovation.

SAP HANA integrates data from a wide variety of sources with up-to-date insights. These insights can be used to detect patterns and make educated predictive analyses, ultimately making the KRA more citizen-centric, fast and efficient.

SAP Enterprise Resource Planning in Kenya is not just another ICT solution. This is a “massive technology leap” according to Ashley Boag, Acting Managing Director of SAP East Africa, and it is made possible by the full adoption of an e-government system.

SAP ERP’s integration into the Kenyan e-government will maximize technological efficiency and prepare Kenya for growth into the increasingly competitive digital economy. This is a major step towards realizing the development goals stipulated in the Kenya Vision 2030, which aims to transform Kenya into an industrializing, clean, secure and middle-income country by 2030.

– Liliana Rehorn

Photo: Flickr