The Ministry of Local Government this week announced that all executive secretaries of cells in the country – 2,148 in total – have been given laptop computers in the bid to help them efficiently execute their daily work. The distribution of computers at the cells, which are the third administrative units (from bottom) in local government, is a step in the right direction as the country makes strides towards having a digital economy that we all strive for. These gadgets will be key in helping citizens access services, especially civil registration especially registration of births and deaths which have recently been brought near communities as an incentive for people to register these crucial events that help government plan accordingly. With these services already available in hospitals and other entities, we are progressively moving towards a situation where more accurate data will be available in real time. Having the laptops, especially in the remotest parts of the country will also inevitably lend a hand to the ICT penetration in the country especially since these leaders are also seen as major trend setters in the communities where they serve. Already the numbers are encouraging, if the most recent statistics from Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) are anything to go by. The total number of active mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions in Rwanda was as of November last year at 10,903,661 at the end of November 2021. At least eight million Rwandans were active internet users in March 2020, according to RURA. Now that they have received the gadgets, the local leaders should raise to the occasion, make the most of them and deliver better to the people. It has been severally said that the outbreak of Covid-19 fast-tracked the need for digitization in different ways of life, and even the laggards have had to inevitably come on board because of the lockdowns and other related restrictions as the government tries to contain the global pandemic.
