[UgaBYTES] Fw : Internet Evolution - Deborah Nason - Rwanda's Digital Destiny: An Update

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--- En date de : Dim 30.8.09, Siddhartha Shankar <siddhartha.s at drishtee.com> a écrit :

De: Siddhartha Shankar <siddhartha.s at drishtee.com>
Objet: Internet Evolution - Deborah Nason - Rwanda's Digital Destiny: An  Update
À: "pbarera" <pbarera at yahoo.fr>
Cc: "Nitin G" <nitin at drishtee.com>, "PK Joseph" <pk at yesweb.org>
Date: Dimanche 30 Août 2009, 5h10

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Rwanda's Digital Destiny: An Update
Written by Deborah Nason



8/18/2009  22 comments







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Over
the past year, Rwanda -- with a population of 10 million -- has
continued to gain momentum in implementing its multimillion-dollar plan
to transform the country into a knowledge-based society and economy by
2020.

As described in an Internet Evolution Web Wide World video documentary
by Stephen Saunders last October, Rwanda has risen from the ashes of
genocide and set its sights on becoming a “world class” information and
communication technology (ICT) hub. 

“Rwanda is [now] the most peaceful country in the region,” says Wilson Muyenzi, project coordinator with the Rwanda Information Technology Authority. “Hard to believe considering the recent past, but very true.”


The government is rolling out the last of 30 public access Internet
sites (known as "telecentres") planned for the Maryland-sized country.
In addition to providing basic Internet access, these telecentres offer
services such as training clubs for computer literacy and English
lessons, according to an article in The Independent, a Ugandan newspaper.

The paper also reports that in mid-July, two specially equipped
buses went into service, bringing Internet access to rural areas. These
mobile telecentres provide basic ICT training, along with access to
printing, scanning, and photocopying gear.

According to a July presentation from Rwanda’s Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, most of the country’s ICT activities, based on its National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plan, are now focused on “e-sectors,” such as e-health, e-education, e-government, and e-agriculture.


“We are currently building [an internal] national fiber optic
backbone that will reach all the 30 districts of Rwanda, all the border
posts, and will along the way connect up schools, hospitals, government
offices, police posts, and a host of other institutions,” says Muyenzi.
“We are also building a national data center, a tier-three data center
that will host all government data and applications but will also be
available to the private sector.”

Indian and U.S. organizations are also playing major roles in bringing about Rwanda’s e-vision.

Last October, Drishtee, a provider of rural telecentres in India, and Nyamata Teleservice Centre,
a rural Rwandan telecentre, signed a memorandum of understanding to
develop and deliver a wide range of services, according to a telecentre blog. This is an important step, as Internet access alone will not allow telecentres to be financially viable.


Also providing support is the U.S.-based One Laptop per Child project, which last June launched
a “Global Center for Excellence in Laptops and Learning” in Rwanda’s
capital, Kigali. Besides raising education quality with connected
laptops, the project is meant to “support ongoing laptop implementation
plans in Rwanda, and create an African regional laptop network,”
according to the sponsors.

Rwanda’s determination and follow-through on its Internet strategy
continue to make the country a regional standout. According to regional
publication allAfrica.com, Rwanda is among the only countries in the East African Community
with a clear ICT policy. It also is among the handful of countries that
have started on the One LapTop per Child policy, which is part of the UN Millennium Campaign. 

Rwanda’s burgeoning e-infrastructure is even helping to improve
relations with its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

“Just a week ago, the presidents of the two countries met at the
border -- the very first time the two have met in the absence of an
arbitrator,” says Muyenzi. “They went beyond security and political
issues and agreed to jointly promote trade and other socioeconomic
projects.”

Muyenzi points out an economic incentive behind these improved
relations: Private companies are now vying to use Rwanda's fiber optic
backbone network to reach the Congolese market.


— Deborah Nason is a freelance writer based in Connecticut. 






Channel: Developing world, Telecom infrastructure, Telecom services

Tags: Access technologies, Government, Healthcare, Optical networking


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