The rolling landscape of Rwanda is poised to be levelled by communication technology through broadband network set to start in December 2009. The cyber framework basics such as optic fibre cables and net transmitters are being laid to spread information and communication technology services countrywide. The Minister in the Office of the President in charge of Science, Technology, Scientific Research and ICT, Prof. Romain Murenzi, disclosed this Tuesday in a phone interview. He said the government has liaised with private investors in ICT like MTN and Lapgreen to bring high-speed broadband internet access to the entire country next year. “We have to recognise the urgent need for different forms of communication technology here,” said the minister, citing a national plan to train more experts in the field. He added that once fibre optic cable networking is over, the rural broadband community will be marketed and sold to everybody currently facing problems in ICT use. The promotion of broadband technology is one of the main targets of the national development ambition to encourage a knowledge-based economy among citizens. Meanwhile, easy access to fast internet services and adequate human skills to spearhead it has remained a big challenge throughout the country and the African continent in general. A recent study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on ICT use in 42 African countries said that it is still poor due to limited human skills and facilities. The survey, which targeted people involved in e-learning in these countries, was released at the eLearning Africa conference in Accra, Ghana, last May. It suggested that expertise and management skills were the key, not just advancing infrastructure and hardware. Ends
