Rwanda has made strides in enhancing digital literacy, achieving levels that have enabled the government to surpass its initial literacy target for 2024.
Digital literacy – the ability to navigate various digital platforms and understand, assess and communicate through them – reached 75.2 per cent, according to the latest Labour Force Survey for the third quarter ended on October 31.
This means the government surpassed its 2024 target of 60 per cent.
The National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR), which publishes the survey, describes the digital literacy rate as the proportion of population knowing to apply at least one of selected basic digital skills.
These basic digital skills include the ability to use application-based system to access e-services, use any social media, mobile financial services, e-commerce platforms, as well as access information through a web browser, Irembo services, and e-learning platforms, among others.
Gasakure Saga Doña Magali, Advisor to the Minister of ICT and Innovation, said this was driven by several initiatives, including the Digital Ambassadors Programme (DAP), which seeks to boost digital literacy and increase the use of e-government and e-business services.
"Currently, there are 1,327 digital ambassadors and 57 supervisors actively engaged. By January 2025, an additional 855 individuals will be recruited (821 ambassadors and 34 supervisors), bringing the total to 2,148 ensuring one ambassador in every cell across the country,” she said.
Gasakure indicated that as of end June 2024, 3,210 public servants had undergone digital literacy training at profesional certification courses level as part of a broader strategy to enhance the efficiency of public service delivery through the adoption of digital tools.
Rwanda is making strides in enhancing access to information and expanding internet services through investments in information and communication technology infrastructure.
According to the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, investments the government is making are focused on ensuring seamless access to various digital applications that support essential online services including Irembo.
Irembo is the government's portal that provides easy access to e-government services, allowing citizens to process documents such as IDs, driving licenses, birth certificates, and other public services online.
Joseph Niyitegeka, an agent of Irembo, cited that he has seen Irembo expand its service offerings since joining the business to include new services and improve citizens’ experience.
"Irembo is enabling citizens to access essential services more efficiently and contributing to a more digitally integrated society. Delivery of services is increasingly becoming faster, and as a result, this has reduced the need for physical visits to government offices,” he noted.
Under the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST), Rwanda targets to expand digital literacy skills to all, and develop skills for the future, particularly train one million coders and 500,000 people in advanced ICT skills.
A Single Digital ID system will be introduced to provide access to government services and making it easier and faster for Rwandans to interact with public institutions.
By 2029, all government services will be fully digitized in order to enhance service delivery and accountability.