President’s office takes over Rita

The Rwanda Information and Technology Authority (Rita) has been put under the President’s Office, and will now be reporting directly to the Minster in President’s Office in charge of Science, Technology, Scientific Research and ICT, Prof. Romain Murenzi. Thus ICT was added to Prof. Murenzi’s portfolio due to the added responsibilities.Rita has previously been under the Ministry of Infrastructure, with the direct overseer being the State Minister for Energy and Communication, Eng. Albert Butare. Subsequent to the changes, Butare’s portfolio has been changed into the State Minister for Energy. The changes were sanctioned by the Cabinet after it took decision to transfer communication department from the Infrastructure ministry. Butare said that also transferred to the President’s Office are the National Post Office and the communication unit of Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency (Rura). “What is essential is that the President (Paul Kagame) is going to closely monitor the ICT development in the country,” Murenzi said over the weekend. Murenzi said he is optimistic the changes would accelerate ICT development. President Kagame is known for his firm position on the key role played by ICT in national economy. Rwanda is seeking to position itself as a strong ICT hub in the region.Ends