The growing ICT profile and its glowing implications

Just like how any other trend of living impacts those subscribed to it, the steadily expanding ICT profile in Rwanda has surely not left people the same. Though this culture still has a long way to go most especially in the rural areas where its impact is still meager, it has indicated steady progress and its implications in urban areas is far reaching. The installation of the Fibre Optic loop around Kigali among other things significantly stepped up the wireless affordable broadband connection, which facility has made Rwanda an ICT communication friendly environment. This facility has for example empowered mobile telephone users and wireless internet provisions cheaper and reliable, hence attracting visitors and foreign interactions like tourists who do not worry about internet blockages. The installation of the GSM technology by Rwandatel for mobile telephone subscribers, increased from 50,000 to 200,000 users in a period of three months. This ICT infrastructure can be translated into economic development and the justifications for this are overwhelming. According to this global village that we live in, ICT has cross cutting influences to the economy, and among these include enhancement of convenience in our daily lives, efficiency and effectiveness in communication and signal sending among others. After acting as a catalyst for investment, it goes a head to ease operations for the different ventures such as activating lotto servers where people go for gambling, activating of SIMTEL’s ATM cards in banking and Digital banking among others. The growing ICT infrastructure has also stepped up managerial functions in many organizations for instance the Rwanda Information Technology Agency (RITA) just a few days a go launched a digital rollout of a human resource attendance watch soft ware called E-Attendance, and this will allow efficient and easy control of personnel. The Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board in charge of ICT, Nkubito Bakuramutsa said that this software is timely and will greatly accelerate efficiency and effectiveness in personnel management. ICT has also been instrumental in eliminating fraud in financial institutions and other institutions dealing with large numbers of people for instance in issuing out computerized driving licenses, National identity cards and taxation departments. Communication has been eased through web interfaces like internet, facebook, messengers and other web related communications that have become a trend to many people. However on a sad note, some of these digital trends have not been fully utilized and progressively explored by people. For instance the internet is largely only used for exchanging social messages as opposed to making business connections and consignments or academic researches for knowledge creation. If we are to reap even bigger from the ICT trend, we should first and foremost exploit the economic potentials it poses. Probably, the ICT instructors need to emphasize the economic aspect as they impart the technical aspects as well. Ends