1 IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL ICT POLICY AND PLAN IN RWANDA A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS David K.KANAMUGIRE Rwanda Information Technology Authority Open Access 2004 Stockholm, May th 2004

2 Country Information Pop. 8,128,553 (08/2002) < 14 years old: 49% < 20 years old: 60% +/- 400,000 are orphans; +/- 20% of head their household Male: 46% Female: 54% (estimated 42% are widowed) 35% of all households are headed by women

3 Country Information Land Area: 26,338 square kilometers Location: Between 1 – 3 deg. latitude south and deg. longitude east 75 miles from the Equator; 880 miles from the Indian Ocean; 1250 miles from the Atlantic Ocean Altitude: Most of the country lies above 1000 m, with half of it m above sea level Terrain: Mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east Land use: 47% cropland, 22% forest, 18% pasture, 13% other

4 Our History

5 Our History (contd…1)

6 Vision for Rwanda Build a vision :Vision for Rwanda (VfR 2020 ) by year 2020 In order to transform the economy to middle income, knowledge based economy. By using ICT as the engine for this economic transformation

7 Rwanda Vision 2020 Develop Rwanda into a middle income economy by the year 2020 To modernize the Rwandan economy and society using ICTs as an engine for: - accelerated development and economic growth - national prosperity - global competitiveness ICT Policy & Plan Comprehensive ICT Policy

8 Background to the Vision Acknowledge our past Rwandans hold primary responsibility for our actions Change the Present If we could destroy our country, we could build it Build the Future Focus on what gives us key advantage

9 Infrastructure - Energy and Power - Telecommunications and Data Services - End user service penetration Human factors - Capacity Building - User and Business Friendly Environment - Reduce Access Costs Strategies - Continuous assessment to improve plans & Policies Building Blocks of the ICT Engine

10 The Roadmap 1998: ICT Policy Process Commenced 2000: Policy & Plan endorsed by Cabinet : First 5-year plan

11 Key plan Components (8 Pillars)

12 ICT Sector Development ICT as Enabler of Broad-based Development agric sector industrial sector service sector private sector education sector social sector infrastructure development Systems ICT Service sector ICT Industry strategic focus ICT infrastructure Plan thrust areas E-Government

13 Universal Access Education & Training Global Competitiveness Universal service Applications/Content Research & Development Intellectual Property Knowledge Transfer Employment/Workforce Infrastructure Education/Training ICT Literacy Policy Focus Areas IMMEDIATEFUTURE Innovation

14 Government assists in specific areas where private sector might not deliver: Access to schools, hospital, libraries, museums Access in regional or urban development zones Digital divide initiatives to encourage access among disadvantaged groups Government initiatives to support education, training, awareness raising, applications development etc. Government Role

15 Government has positioned itself as a ICT champion Combines public funding with governmental guidance of private market E-Government Initiatives Government Role

16 Current Status (Regulatory Environment) Market Fully Liberalized Privatization of Rwandatel Licensing of other operators (Mobile & Fixed Line ) Separation of regulator functions Independent regulatory authority Deregulation of monopolistic markets Regulation of non-regulated chaotic markets

17 ICT incentives 0% Taxi on importation of ICT related products and Services A number of other ICT investment Incentives

18 Covers 65% of the population >75% of Land 14 major cities 81 base stations in the entire country Cellular Network Coverage Coverage Will increase when a second operator comes

19 Rural Satellite Access Local Company (ARTEL) provides Connectivity where there is no other infrastructure Government subsidizes or fully pays for the service where market not competitive All provincial Centers are connected by either (PSTN, Wireless Broadband,or Satellite Connection)

20 Fiber Backbone Network Initially connect all government agencies and ministries Use wireless broadband for last mile solution where fiber can not be laid or not feasible Laid by the government Will serve both public and private sector

21 PSTN Rwandatel provides basic telephony & connectivity services Leases some of its bandwidth to other ISP

22 Other Infrastructure in place Broadband wireless access to schools Initially 300 planned( about 30 connected so far),will increase annually Will also serve local community facilities Health care centers Local administration offices,etc.. Community Wi-Fi hot spots (Individual Initiatives)-Hotels,public places etc..

23 Measuring ICT Penetration Non-ICT users CT Only users Basic ICT users Networked ICT users Intensive ICT users Phone penetration less than 10% (Phones divided by Employees) Phone penetration less than 10% (Phones divided by Employees) Phone penetration greater than 10% PC penetration 25% or greater (PCs divided by Employees) PC penetration 25% or greater (PCs divided by Employees) Internet connection penetration 20% or greater (Internet connections divided by Employees) Internet connection penetration 50% or greater PLUS 2 Intensive ICT Filters* Cutoffs *ICT Filter 1: Positive response to 6 our of 8 questions related to specialized hardware & software *ICT Filter 2: Greater than 20 out of 25 points on questions related to attitudes towards ICT Certain e-Government programs proposed in the NICI Plan will help National Government move through the door to Intensive ICT usage. National ID Card Computerization System Roads Record Information System (RORIS)

24 Current Status Economic Sector Segment Estimated Level of ICT Engagement* Non-ICT CT Only Basic ICT Networked ICT Intensive ICT Public Sector National Government 0%20%33%47%0% Local Government 58%36%5%1%0% Private Sector Large Businesses 39%44%10%5%2% SMEs 16%58%15%10%1% Source: On the Frontier, 2003

25 From the figures.. National Government reports the highest levels of ICT Access, but 20% still have achieved the level of CT Only Local Government falls into the two lowest categories (94%), driven by lack of access to basic ICT infrastructure. Large Businesses are concentrated (83%) in the two lowest levels of ICT engagement. SMEs are the most evenly distributed across the spectrum, reflecting the varied conditions under which SMEs operate in Rwanda. However, 74% are classified as Non-ICT or CT-Only, indicating that they have not integrated PCs into their operations.

26 SectorSegmentation Public Sector National Government level A large number of initiatives underway Local & provincial Government Private Sector Large Businesses (Financial Insitutions,etc) SMEs

27 Sector Responsiveness to ICT Economic Impact Influence Short-term hurdles Access to Capital Interest Attractiveness Ease Notes:Survey administered to ontheFRONTIERs ICT Workgroup and Steering Committee (n=14) Source:ontheFRONTIER surveys and analysis Large Business Government Universities NGOs Home SMEs Prim. / Sec. Schools

28 traditional strengths Our goal PublicSector PrivateSector CommunityInterestSector PublicSector CommunityInterestSector PrivateSector PublicSector PrivateSectorCommunity Interest InterestSector Public-Private Partnerships

29 Promoting Equal Partnerships Private Sector Creating Value Public Sector Preserving Rule of Law Maintaining Order Ensuring socio- economic justice Community Sustaining and improving Quality of Life

30 Rwanda ICT Special Initiatives Country Gateway Distance Learning SchoolNet Rural Connectivity E-Government African Virtual University Justice Network Telecentres Telehealth RwedNet Some of Existing ICT projects

31 Challenges Very low penetration in the private sector (SMEs) Skills Seed fund for Community Networks Lack of skills drive up prices to levels that can not be afforded by the public

32 10 years later: painful recovery Rwanda's economy rebounded significantly after the restoration of peace, averaging more than 15 per cent annual growth between 1995 and 1999, and 7.4 per cent in , well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. (IMF) Today, Rwanda has much to show the world about confronting the legacy of the past and tackling the challenge of recovery…It is demonstrating that it is possible to reach beyond tragedy and rekindle hope. Koffi Anan

33 And Now… Fast growing economy Stable Labor Market Total Government Support Technological Independence Fast telecom sector Growth Fast ICT Growth

34 Next Generation User-Charlie

35 THANK YOU David K.KANAMUGIRE