WB boss hails Rwanda on ICT development

ADDIS ABABA - World Bank President Robert Zoellick has commended the Rwandan government for its continued efforts towards the development of ICT saying that the country has emerged as a continental model in using technologies for development. Zoellick said this during a video conference held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia where he was attending African Union Summit. The video conference was linked to different African cities including Rwanda. “Rwanda has been one of the real leaders in ICT, as we discussed yesterday in a small lunch meetings, I think there is a lot that can be leant through Rwandan experience,” Zoellick hailed. President Paul Kagame who is also in Addis, gave a keynote address at the Heads of State Summit titled “Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development”. Outlining some of the ways into which ICT can bolster development, the WB boss said that it can help farmers use mobile phones to get information on market prices so that they are not disadvantaged through using middlemen. He said that Rwanda was also a model for ICT usage in boosting the leadership’s accountability to the population through the implementation of e-government which he says closes loopholes for corruption and increase overall service delivery. Some of the innovative applications that Rwanda was commended for include the TRACNet system that allows health workers in the field to track medical supplies to clinics, especially for HIV patients. “Telecommunication should not be regarded as business but also service opportunity for governments,” Zoellick said. Last year, the World Bank invested $3.6 billion in infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa that has created jobs and improved growth prospects for tomorrow. Ends

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WB boss hails Rwanda on ICT development