KOREAN PARTNERSHIP, A BOOST TO ICT VISION

A powerful delegation from Korea led by a man largely credited for the ICT revolution in this Asian nation has been in Rwanda to discuss strategies on how they could partner with Rwandans and use their experience to fast track the development of this sector. The Koreans are bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of ICT that will assist Rwanda to avoid the pitfalls that those who pioneered the sector went through. Rwanda has always been clear on her goals and vision. There’s a commitment to use ICTs as a key ingredient for the socio-economic transformation of this country. The roadmap has already been put in place, guided by the right policy framework with ambitious targets. Many initiatives geared towards the realisation of achieving the vision of having ICTs play a central role in the development of the country are on course. Government has invested a lot in human capital development with the latest score being securing the opportunity to host the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, which will also be training students from the region. The ‘One Laptop per Child’ policy is already giving our children a chance to acquaint themselves with basic ICT skills at a tender age. A good number of ICT assortments and infrastructure are imported at zero tariffs. Government is also working hard to ensure that a fibre optic cable that provides fast speed internet connection is laid across the country. Therefore, the Rwanda-Korea partnership is a boost to the ICT blueprint that the country has put in place. Given the experience on how the Koreans have harnessed ICTs to develop themselves, no doubt that their input into our ICTs strategy will go a long way to help in achieving our development objectives. Ends