RDB-IT has entered a partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to empower community telecentres as local academies to provide IT skills to communities in the countryside. Cisco Networking Academy, now conducting a training programme for telecentre managers, is an innovative education initiative that delivers information and communication technology (ICT) skills to improve career and economic opportunities around the world. According to Alphonse Zigira, the Director in charge of Rural Community Access, technicians and managers of the community centres are undergoing a continuous training programme designed for their empowerment in terms of redelivering IT skills, providing ICT support to the communities as well as effective management for the centres. “We are very optimistic that our relationship with Cisco, One Global Economy, Apple Seed, and the National University of Rwanda will play a critical role in popularizing ICTs in the areas, thus registering a significant contribution towards bridging the digital divide,” commented the RDB-IT official. The government, through Rwanda Development Board, has so far deployed 12 well-equipped and connected multipurpose community tele-centres worth about Rwf480 million. 18 More state of the art telecentres are under construction and expected to be complete before the end of this year. The plan is to have at least one centre in every district. Last week President Paul Kagame, at the World Technology Summit told the world that Rwanda is committed to realizing the great potential of science and technology, especially information and communications technology. He was announced by World Technology Network (WTN) as winner of a prestigious award by the World Technology Network (WTN) within the policy development category. WTN is a global think tank aimed at bringing important emerging technologies of all types into reality. Ends
