Data innovation centre scoops 2nd prize at Global Telecentre Awards

Data Innovation Centre, a Rwandan development project, has been recognised at the First Global Telecentre Awards. The Global Telecentre Awards is a programme aimed at recognising and celebrating outstanding players in the global telecentre movement.During the award ceremony held in Spain recently, Data Innovation Centre came second in the category of best telecentres, behind Volgograd State Agricultural University from Russia. Adalur knowledge centre from India was named third.The awards are in six categories; Telecentre, Telecentre Manager, Telecentre Network, Telecentre Innovation, Telecentre Initiative, and Information Access Centre.These categories put premium on the three important aspects of the global telecentre movement – People, Innovation and Sustainability.In an interview with The New Times, Dominique Ntirushwa, the founder of Data Innovation Centre said his project is aimed at bridging the digital divide within local communities through provision of ICT services and life transforming skills.“I started this project to help Rwandan orphans by providing them with free computer training and running a business centre that would make money to support them with their personal needs. We have trained about 50 children from the Gisimba Orphanage with very limited resources,” he narrates.High demand He injected $40,000 his project won from MTN in South Africa into the centre.Now the major challenge they face is high demand and yet their centre does not have the capacity to fully address this need.“There are other projects providing similar services, but the need and demand is still higher than what can be provided. This is a challenge, but at the same time a great opportunity. We need to have more social enterprises to come up with initiatives whose primary focus is to help uplift communities out of poverty and isolation,” he says.About 1,000 people have been trained by the project in four centres in Rusizi, Rubavu, Musanze and Rwamagana. Plans are underway to open six more centres in the next three months in Gasabo, Muhanga, Nyanza, Huye, Nyagatare and Karongi districts. “This will take our foot-print across the country to 10 districts. We will also do an expansion of five of our centres to include a full-time training centre that will allow each of them to provide training to 200 people every month. Early next year, we also hope to launch an online Kinyarwanda computer training programme that will be accessible for free to all Rwandans.”

National

Data innovation centre scoops 2nd prize at Global Telecentre Awards