NICI
Plan
The Rwandan
ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policy and Plan development process which is being
supported by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) within the framework of the Africa
Information Society Initiative (AISI) began in 1998. The process is divided into two
phases. The first phase concentrated on the development of a comprehensive ICT-led
Integrated Socio-Economic Development Framework for Rwanda (known as the Framework
Document) and this was followed by the development of an ICT-led Integrated
Socio-economic Policy for Rwanda. The Government now has in place a comprehensive set of
ICT policies and strategies as detailed in the Government of Rwanda (GOR) ICT Policy
document adopted by the Cabinet in early 2000.
The second phase of the process concentrated on
the development of the 1st ICT Plan (2001 –2005) for Rwanda – the NICI-2005
Plan guided by the Government’s ICT Policies. This NICI Plan, the first of
four to be developed within the framework of the Vision for Rwanda (VfR)
is to serve as a cornerstone of the Government’s socio-economic development plan over
the next five years starting 2001.
On the whole the Rwanda process yielded three output: a Policy,
a Plan and Structures. The Policy was based on the Framework Document,
while the Plan was developed to implement Government Policy Commitments. The Structures,
namely the proposed National Information Technology Commission (NITC) and its Working
Groups and the Rwandan Information Technology Authority (RITA) are designed to serve as
national coordinating structures and bodies to support the development and the
implementation of the NICI Plans. The three components resulting from the Rwanda process
are therefore complimentary entities and part of a whole.
A report entitled "An Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic
Development Policy and Plan for Rwanda: 2001 - 2005" was submitted to
His Excellency President Paul Kagame in March 2001.
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Telecommunications
Structure and Policy
La Société Rwandaise des
Télécommunications, RwandaTel, is the sole telecommunications operator in Rwanda which operates
under the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The Ministry has not yet established
an independent regulatory body to oversee the telecommunications sector. A draft law for
the establishment of a multi-sector regulatory body, covering the telecommunication,
water, electricity, gas and transport sectors is under review in the National Parliament.
A telecommunication policy has been approved. A new Telecommunication Act was expected to
be approved by parliament in October 2000.
A telecommunications reform
bill was passed on November 19, 1992. The bill enables the reorganisation of the
telecommunication sector and the introduction of a commercial telecommunications operator.
The telecommunication facilities in
Rwanda have been severely damaged due to the ethnic-based civil war in the 1990s. The 1994
Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union held in Kyoto
initiated special action within the framework of the activities of the Telecommunication
Development Sector of the Union. The goal is to provide appropriate assistance and support
to Rwanda in rebuilding its telecommunication networks when the conditions of order and
security sought by United Nations resolutions have been achieved.
Cellular (Mobile) phone
network
A cellular phone network, RwandaCell,
was formed with investment from MTN, a South African cellular network
operator. MTN will have a 26% stake in the consortium to own and operate the cellular
network in Rwanda. Other shareholders are Tristar-Rwanda and RwandaTel
with 46% and 28% ownership respectively.
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ICT
Networking Development
A joint project with
UNDP is underway to rehabilitate and reinforce the services of the the Documentation and
Information Division of the Ministry of Economy and Plan. The Computer Division of the
Ministry of National Education has acquired 49 microcomputers (Pentium 133), 12 laptops
and two servers (Pentium 200, 64Mhz) through a World bank project. The micros are
connected to the two servers using LAN IntraNetware 4.11. A total of 12
"prefectures" are linked to the network. The Project includes a training
component on network administration and maintenance for 2 staff members.
The USAID
Leland Initiative has been highly instrumental in the provision of technical
support to RwandaTel
for the establishment of private ISPs. Two firms were approved to become ISPs;
however, RwandaTel has not come into agreement with the ISPs on the monthly price of
Internet access. RwandaTel has recently embarked in the provision of
Internet services by connecting itself through MCI in USA. However, RwandaTel does not
have its own domain "rw". Instead it is using the "com" domain.
A National workshop
on "information and Communication Technology Policy and Strategy for Rwanda"
was held in Kigali, Rwanda from November 30 - December 3, 1998. The workshop was organised
under the the Ministry of Transports and Communications of Rwanda and the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), with the financial sponsorship from UNESCO, USAID,
UNDP and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The main objectives of the workshop were
to:
- Create an opportunity for the
substantive discussion on ICT and how Rwanda can benefit significantly from these
technologies;
- Build a mechanism for a richer
understanding of critical issues related to ICT and practical steps by Government to
develop a capacity to use ICT in Rwanda; and
- To firmly develop a strategic
thinking among decision makers on issues of ICT within the Government of Rwanda.
National and international
facilitators presented papers on the following topics:
- the importance of information
systems in any organisation;
- the emerging new ICT and the
information-based globalisation;
- information systems security and the
Year 2000 problem;
- the liberalisation of
telecommunication infrastructures;
- the situation and trend in Rwanda (
Infrastructures and current ICT Projects);
- the experience of some other African
countries (Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia,….);
- the necessity and approach for an
ICT national policy; and
- the ICT related legal problems in
Rwanda.
The first and most important result
from the workshop was an increased awareness among participants and top decision-makers of
the importance ICTs, and consequently, the need for Rwanda to take urgent steps to fill
the gap in that area. After an overall assessment of the country’s potential and its
ICT related problems and constraints, the workshop recommended steps which need to be
taken by the Government of Rwanda for the formulation and implementation of an ICT
policy and strategy, the most important of which is the creation of a high level national
ICT co-ordinating structure.
The workshop is part of the African Information Society
Initiative endorsed by the ECA Conference of Ministers responsible for
economic development and planning in their May 1996 meeting in Addis Ababa. The workshop
report is available at rwanpap1.htm.
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ICT Partners and
Projects
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) within the framework of the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI) is
supporting the Government of Rwanda in the development of the Rwandan ICT-led
Socio-Economic Development Policy and Plan. The development process began in 1998.
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