{Ericsson has strengthened its collaboration with the Rwanda government following its selection as lead advisory and systems integration partner for the implementation of the Smart Rwanda Master Plan (SRMP).}
The announcement was made at the Mobile World Congress (#MWC15) by Jean Philbert Nsengimana, ICT minister, Rwanda and Fredrik Jejdling, President and CEO, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa.
Commenting on the announcement, Nsengimana said: “The agreement reflects our shared belief in what lies ahead of us. Rwanda has been over the past 15 years been investing in new technologies that can transform the country.”
On his part, Fredrik Jejdling stated: “This marks the beginning of the partnership between Ericsson and the Ministry of ICT to develop Smart Rwanda. Ericsson will be the lead advisory partner and lead systems integration as well as implementation partner of solutions and services that are required for launch of Smart solutions and services in Rwanda. The role of the ministry will be to act as the facilitator of any necessary partnership frameworks. We will develop Smart Rwanda together and utilize our knowledge, skills and technology to support Rwanda’s ICT development.”
The Smart Rwanda Master Plan aims to power the country’s socio-economic transformation towards a knowledge economy through innovative, information-driven, ICT -enabled solutions. Through the SRMP, Rwanda aims to have a 24-hour self-service government, a situation where all government services will be online by 2018; a cashless and paperless government where all public sector financial transactions will be made electronically and via mobile by 2018 with about US $ 50 million in savings being realized in efficiency gains through outsourcing and reduction of future wage bill by foregoing recruitment of additional ICT staff by government.
It also expects to create over US $ 1 billion value in opportunities for the private sector in terms of projects to be implemented by SRMP via PPP model. It further aims to create about 100,000 jobs by fostering an enabling environment for private investments to drive job creation, productivity and competitiveness supported by technology and innovation.
The SRMP – which covers 2015 – 2020 – has the objective to build on the past National ICT Strategy, ICT Sector Strategic Plan’s (2013 – 2018) objectives which include strengthening the country’s economic base as well as improve its economic environment for accelerated growth towards achieving a predominantly information and knowledge-based economy.
Said Nsengimana: “This is something that’s going to drive Rwanda into our 2020 Vision which aims to transform Rwanda from an agriculture-based economy to a knowledge- and service-based economy. We’ve moved from focusing on infrastructure to skills and now our big focus is on services. The focus sectors are education, health, government, services (both to business and to citizens), financial sector and the entire business sector especially the SME segment and agriculture which is still a key sector in our economy. Our aim is to have services sector contribute upto 70 per cent of GDP by 2020.”
Rwanda also seems keen to use the experience and successful implementation of its SRMP to boost its image as a country that can be looked upon by neighbours as a model when it comes to using ICT for social and economic transformation.
“Rwanda currently hosts the secretariat of Smart Africa and one of the things we agreed as part of the Smart Africa Alliance is to have each partner country develop its Smart country programme, meaning that we will have Smart Uganda, Smart Algeria, Smart Gabon, Smart Senegal and Smart South Africa and along the same principles and with Rwanda as the host of the Secretariat, we’re keen to expand this partnership even beyond Rwanda and see what we can do together to promote a similar model that we’re going to create to adopted by other countries as part of the Smart Africa Alliance,” noted the ICT minister.
On why the Rwanda government chose to work with Ericsson, the minister said: “Ericsson, in the first two phases, especially in the phase where we’d to roll-out infrastructure became a very key partner and even up to date, Ericsson powers most of our mobile networks. So Ericsson is key partner but the fortune is not in the infrastructure but what the infrastructure will enable and the transformation this will bring to the country.”
Commenting on Ericsson’s work in Rwanda, Jejdling said: “Rwanda has developed in terms of mobile telephony over time and we’ve had a significant share of that business in the country. We’ve a shared agenda with Rwanda government.”
Still on the issue of shared agenda, Nsengimana noted: “Let me add that in terms of agenda marching with Ericsson, both our principals – President Paul Kagame and Chairman of Ericsson – are members of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and at global level, both believe in the power of IT to address poverty in Africa.”
Apart from the government, Ericsson also works with MTN Rwanda
{{Source: CIO East Africa (Nairobi)}}
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