The Libyan firm that recently won the bid to run Rwandatel after taking over 80% shares, has been handed over assets and liabilities of the company that has had mixed fortunes ever since it started operations. New Rwandatel owners, Lap Green, are a Libyan-government owned consortium that was set up to promote that country’s interests across all Africa.

The fortunes of the company that Lap Green has taken over have been widely documented, but perhaps showing how the company started as Rwandatel under government ownership, then it became Terracom after the government sold some of its shares. Later on the government revoked the agreement it had with Terracom, and the company name reverted to Rwandatel before the current purchasers. This simply underlines part of this company’s checkered history.

It is not without justification to say that as the new managers take over the running of this communications company, some issues have to be taken into serious consideration.

The Government of Rwanda needed a serious partner to drive the Rwandatel/ Terracom vehicle which would in turn drive Rwanda into ICT development. Part of the need for this relationship was to expand telecommunication operations into the rural areas that usually lag behind if left entirely to their resources if government fails to plan appropriately for them. So it was that government got disenchanted when Terracom managers failed to fulfill part of their pledge to avail the rural areas with the necessary connections.

It is really this simple – that all Lap Green needs to do is to avoid the way of Terracom, and take government seriously about bringing the rural areas into the fold of ICT development, and also acting in such a manner as to afford Rwandans cheaper internet connections, besides putting them there.

Terracom, or whichever name it will be called now, is the major IP in the country, and so Rwandans are very optimistic that there will be a major improvement in the speed of doing business electronically, as also we hope to register a minimum of break downs in operations. It is not an idle boast that Rwanda is an ICT country, and so we welcome Lap Green if it has what it takes to propel our dreams even further.

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