A new fiber-optic network will connect businesses and homes with reliability and speed.

As one of the first African nations already in the process of installing a nationwide fiber-optic network, Rwanda is committed to using information and communication technologies (ICT) to achieve its 2020 socioeconomic goals. Indeed, President Kagame has said that for Rwanda, the development of ICT is “not a matter of choice, but of necessity.”

A National Information Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plan is in the process of being implemented in the government and in the private sector, and ICT is increasingly being used in government, banks, businesses, schools and hospitals.

“We are looking for ways to determine the optimal use of our human resources to pave the way for Rwanda’s socioeconomic development. ICT is the best instrument to accelerate this process,” says Albert Butare, Minister of State for Energy and Communications.

Rwanda has a head start on its neighbors. “We were the first African country to come up with a clearly articulated, well-structured program for ICT development,” says Dr. Shem Ochuodho, Executive Director of the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA), which oversees the implementation of the NICI plan. “It is widely recognized that Rwanda has taken an early lead. If we remain focused, by 2020 we will be a communications hub.”

ALBERT BUTARE Minister of Energy and Communications

Rwanda already has the highest density of VSAT terminals for satellite communications in Africa and is one of the first African countries to be installing a fiber-optic backbone to carry high quality telephone, internet, and TV services nationwide.

The network already links the cities of Kigali and Butare, and within the capital many government ministries and institutions are already connected. It is being extended by Terracom, the U.S.-based ICT company that recently took over the management of the national telecommunications company Rwandatel.

Garry Clark, Terracom’s Chief Operating Officer, says the network will be larger and faster than any in Central Africa. “We are introducing technologies here at the same time as they are being introduced in the United States,” he says. “Our fiber network will connect businesses and homes with reliability and speed, and will be affordable and cost-efficient.”

A major project is the electrification of a new state-of-the-art 130-foot antenna at the peak of Mount Karisimbi in the Ruhengeri province. The mast, which will be the highest in Africa, is due to begin operating by next March. It will provide better connections, increase access to the internet, and will be used for a variety of services including meteorology and air traffic management.

Other initiatives are also in the pipeline. Mobile telecom provider MTN RwandaCell is laying optic fiber from Uganda, passing through Kigali and continuing up to the border of Tanzania.

“The government, through Electrogaz and MTN RwandaCell, is looking at pulling the optic network through Tanzania in order to reach the Indian Ocean and linking up with the east African submarine cable system,” says Mr. Butare. “This will enable us to link up with companies such as British Telecom, who want to pursue partnerships once we have this infrastructure in place. We believe that Rwanda will become a central, efficient, affordable hub for the region in terms of data transfer.”

Electronic government is a major focus of the NICI, with the aim of providing more efficient delivery of services and improved interaction between government and citizens and government and businesses.

In the agricultural sector, the electronic marketing of agricultural products has started with coffee. A crop-mapping program is also being worked on. In the health sector, a pilot program in telemedicine has been introduced with some operations being supervised electronically, and another is underway for AIDS treatment and research. More computers are being provided for schools and e-education in the form of distance learning is expanding.

RITA’s Dr. Ochuodho says there is significant potential for growth and investment, ranging from ICT parks to the development and outsourcing of software and the manufacturing and refurbishing of mobile phones. “By the time the NICI program concludes, we hope to be able to export software and systems worth $50-100 million every year.”