President Paul Kagame and the chairperson of Huawei Technologies Ms. Sun Yafang on Thursday held discussion on how to strengthen cooperation in Rwanda’s ICT industry.

During the talks, in Hong Kong, China, Huawei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government of Rwanda to open all-round cooperation in the ICT industry.

The MOU is intended to assist Rwanda in building Regional Data Centers, National Broadband, Smart Grid and Smart Education among other infrastructures to promote Rwanda to become the regional ICT Hub.

Huawei also donated a Smart Education Demonstration to the Rwandan government to help promote the smart education development process.

Huawei will roll out its global CSR flagship Programnme Seeds for the Future in Rwanda to cultivate more local ICT talents, according to a statement.

President Kagame expressed his gratitude to Huawei for its continuous efforts to use advanced ICT technology in connecting Rwanda to promote the digitalisation process.

"Rwanda attaches great importance to the ICT industry and it's role in global economic and social development. I am confident that Huawei will use its advanced information and communication technology to participate in the development of the ICT sector of Rwanda. We look forward to strengthening this partnership between Rwanda and Huawei," said President Kagame.

Ms. Sun Yafang, chairperson of Huawei Technologies noted that ICT is the cornerstone of intelligent society and will help boost the digital economy in Rwanda.

"Focusing on the improvement of ICT infrastructure in Rwanda, we will continuously introduce advanced technology and solutions and share our global experience to promote Rwanda to become the regional ICT Hub, and to achieve the cooperation and mutual benefits,” she said.

Huawei has been operating in Rwanda for more than 10 years.

Earlier, President Kagame, accompanied by Rwanda’s Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean-Philbert Nsengimana and the Director General of the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) Patrick Nyirishema and other government officials participated in the Broadband Commission meeting, organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Huawei Technologies.

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider.

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