Positivo BGH, an Argentina-based company that set up an IT factory in Rwanda, has confirmed the kickoff of production of laptops as part of its plans to supply digital devices to the government. Juan Ignacio Ponelli, the company’s president (in charge of Africa), recently revealed to sections of the media that the production at the factory based in the Special Economic Zone started in mid-July and so far 7,800 laptops have been assembled.

Ponelli pledged that Positivo BGH would bring the best available technology to Rwanda and the continent considering that they have partnered with the world’s leading IT companies such as Intel, Google and Microsoft.

He added that the company plans to assemble 75,000 laptops by the end of the year and these locally assembled laptops are expected to ease shortage of digital devices in schools and improve ICT teaching. Last year, the Government signed an agreement with Postivo BGH in an effort to address the challenges that have dogged the One Laptop Per Child Programme.

In other news, Innovation for Education, which has been running for the last three years, last week shared its achievements with Dr Papius Musafiri, the Minister of Education. The project worth about GBP11.9 million, supported by DFID, started in December 2012 with 26 innovative projects across the country. The project is meant to demonstrate effective and equitable ways of improving children’s learning in classrooms, schools and other education institutions.

In regional news, International Health Sciences University (IHSU) last week graduated 12 student innovators, using web and / or mobile app solutions to solve particular problems.All the 12 students collaborated on four health projects aimed at providing solutions to health challenges under the ICT in Heath project. For their efforts, they received the Advanced Certificate in Applied ICT’s, which is intended to champion the integration of ICT’s in the healthcare systems in Uganda and the region.

According to IHSU’s vice chancellor, Prof James Scot Brown, the students presented four projects, the ICU Communicator, Tele-Consult, the Uganda Cancer Portal and the VHT Management and support system.

Prof Brown further explained that, the reason for this course is to mix learning with practical skills and development.The ICU Communicator is a platform meant to support ICU consultants to easily receive up to date information from their patients on the go. The platform will allow consultants to engage with colleagues on the best course of treatment for a critically-ill patient by having all the patients’ critical data at hand and on time, ultimately saving time.

 Compiled by Solomon Asaba