Policymakers need to change how they are doing things to address the rampant challenge of the digitally unconnected people, Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, said on Wednesday, June 22.

She was speaking during a panel discussion on "Bridging the Digital Divide” as part of the Commonwealth Business Forum that attracted more than 1,000 delegates in Kigali.

"The one third of population that remains unconnected is probably the most difficult to connect. All the policies, all the regulations, all the business models and financing that has worked to connect 4.9 billion, perhaps are not going to be a good fit to connect the remaining 2.9 billion people,” Ingabire noted.

When one talks about disruption, she said, "it’s going to require that even us, as policymakers, we change how we are doing things because, clearly, the same policies and regulations we are using, if they haven’t helped us to connect the remaining unconnected, it’s already a question mark for us.”

"I don’t think that just scaling what has already been done is actually going to give us the much needed traction on what we need to close the gap,” Ingabire emphasized.  

The digital divide and gender gap in access to broadband are characterized mainly by lack of digital literacy as well as access to digital devices.

According to the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity report of 2021, in Sub-Saharan Africa, only 28 per cent of the population are connected to broadband, 19 per cent are not covered with mobile internet and the usage gap is as high as 53 per cent. This is mainly due to limited affordability.

To achieve a cashless economy, the minister said, Rwanda realized, early, that a strategy to drive cashless in small and medium enterprises and retailers’ industries ‘inevitably’ was not going to work for the agricultural sector.

Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN Group, told governments that the required capital to connect those who are not connected is available but they request a regulatory regime that provides certainty for long-term capital to invest.

"And we would then commit to bring down the cost of accessing the internet on a glide path that is agreed on a multi-year basis and you will be surprised by how quickly we move to be able to close the gap,” he added.

In the recently concluded World Telecommunication Development Conference, Rwanda committed to increase digital access and inclusion through investment in key enablers, focusing on underserved areas and groups.

The envisaged interventions include support for smart device affordability, financing schemes, as well as local connectivity access schemes targeting unconnected government offices, schools, hospitals, and public areas.