Rwanda Telecommunications Sector Performance Review 2007
Rwanda Telecommunications Sector Performance Review 2007
Rwanda Telecommunications Sector Performance Review 2007
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<strong>Rwanda</strong><br />
Excellency Paul Kagame stated “it has become abundantly clear to us in<br />
Africa that ICT is an indispensable tool in the achievement of our development<br />
goals.” 7<br />
Therefore, one can believe that a vibrant ICT private sector is paramount<br />
for <strong>Rwanda</strong> to harvest the promise of a national ICT Plan. Although government<br />
leadership is necessary, only private sector firms can help<br />
<strong>Rwanda</strong> successfully compete in ICT. In May 2006, <strong>Rwanda</strong>’s leadership<br />
made the bold decision to establish a <strong>Rwanda</strong> ICT Park in Kigali. A catalyst<br />
for innovation, this ICT Park will become the platform for <strong>Rwanda</strong>’s<br />
nascent ICT private sector. From its original building, Telecom House,<br />
<strong>Rwanda</strong> ICT Park will evolve into a multi-hectare ICT hub with several<br />
office buildings, ICT training institutions and outsourcing amenities<br />
located at the heart of Kigali. <strong>Rwanda</strong> ICT Park will ultimately become<br />
the main driver of <strong>Rwanda</strong>’s evolution into an ICT society and will<br />
mature into a regional hub for ICT innovation.<br />
ICT Park aims to become a vibrant ICT centre that provides ready access<br />
to world-class ICT products and services for <strong>Rwanda</strong> and the region,<br />
facilitate <strong>Rwanda</strong>’s participation in the development of new and emerging<br />
ICT products and services, focuses on serving as an incubator for<br />
promising start-up ICT firms and finally, facilitate <strong>Rwanda</strong>’s leadership<br />
in ICT research and development. There have been about 10 companies<br />
selected that are already operating in the park.<br />
NATIONAL COMPUTING CENTRE (NCC)<br />
This is one of the technical directorates of RITA, established and supported<br />
by the Swedish Government, providing ICT technical support,<br />
applications development, detailed short-term professional training,<br />
consultancy services and research and development in software engineering.<br />
NCC hosts the National Data Centre that provides a useful clearing<br />
house for government entities. Furthermore, it runs critical government<br />
applications systems such as the National ID card platform, SmartGov,<br />
human resource systems as well as offering feedback and information<br />
about government services and information to citizens. NCC hosts government<br />
websites, web portal and email services for civil servants.<br />
NATIONAL ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOP-<br />
MENT<br />
With the <strong>Rwanda</strong>n economy undergoing rapid change and competition<br />
among enterprises, there is a trend toward the construction of proprietary<br />
networks. Typically these networks are designed to carry only the<br />
owner’s calls, including terminations of calls from other networks. Currently,<br />
however, there is some sharing of facilities.<br />
7 http://www.gov.rw/government/president/speeches/2003/remarks_geneva_speech.html<br />
<strong>2007</strong> <strong>Telecommunications</strong> <strong>Sector</strong> <strong>Performance</strong> <strong>Review</strong><br />
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