{"id":29912,"date":"2016-11-01T03:27:56","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T03:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-s-tech-initiatives-prove-african\/"},"modified":"2016-11-02T05:15:50","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T05:15:50","slug":"rwanda-s-tech-initiatives-prove-african","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-s-tech-initiatives-prove-african\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda\u2019s tech initiatives prove African governments can catalyze innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

{The government of Rwanda, in partnership with California-based startup Zipline, recently started the world\u2019s first national drone delivery program.}<\/p>\n

As an audience of local techies and international press looked on, President Paul Kagame sent the inaugural flight from a tablet-controlled launcher at a drone-port in Rwanda\u2019s Muhanga district. The scene stood in stark contrast to media images 22 years ago of Kagame in military fatigues leading the country out of civil war.<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s come a long way since the 1990s. Becoming a technology hub is central to the country\u2019s national priorities. And Rwanda\u2019s partnership with a Silicon Valley drone startup shows the potential of African nations to shape ICT policies that catalyze innovation with global applications.<\/p>\n

Since launching on October 13th, Zipline\u2019s unmanned aerial vehicles now make 50-150 daily deliveries of critical medical supplies (primarily blood and vaccines) to 21 locations across Rwanda. The small craft lift-off from a customized \u201cdrone-nest,\u201d drop their loads by parachute, then return to their base \u2014 guided digitally by Zipline\u2019s California navigation system connected to Rwanda\u2019s 3G network.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first program of its kind,\u201d said Zipline co-founder Keller Rinaudo. He notes there have been a number of drone delivery demonstrations across the world, but nothing like the Rwanda operation. \u201cWe\u2019re operating a commercial service at a national scale, with national regulatory approval and a customer that is paying us to do it on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Zipline\u2019s profile sounds like a social venture, it is a for-profit entity. Rinaudo and his former Harvard classmate Will Hetzler formed the company after identifying a market for delivering essential medical products cheaper and faster, particularly to remote areas and regions with challenged infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Rinaudo estimates the value of urgent health logistics in Africa as north of $1 billion. In Rwanda, Zipline is paid per delivery by the government. The company\u2019s vision is to expand its operations in Rwanda and then across the continent, all at a profit.<\/p>\n

Zipline has raised $19 million in venture capital from investors including Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, and Subtraction Capital. The company tests its drones, which are custom designed by robotics engineers, at a private facility outside of San Francisco.<\/p>\n

While Zipline\u2019s eureka moment came to Rinaudo on a trip to Tanzania, a referral by former Economist Africa correspondent and Red Line drone founder Jonathan Ledgard led him to Rwanda.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knew Kagame pretty well and relayed Rwanda\u2019s vision for how this technology could make an impact in the country,\u201d said Rinaudo. Upon research and meetings, \u201cwe found Rwanda really forward-looking, innovative, and the government was already making big investments in technology and healthcare,\u201d Rinaudo said.<\/p>\n

Because of this, \u201cit seemed like a natural place\u2026to launch something new,\u201d according to Rinaudo. The government of Rwanda has supported the development of drone operating systems in the country. In the case of Zipline, it granted land and offered cooperation with its Ministries of Health, Defense, and Civil Aviation Authority. This aligned with the country\u2019s commitment to fostering ICT models to improve the living standards of its people.<\/p>\n

Throughout Africa\u2019s shift away from economic disconnection to integration with the global economy and technologic advancement, Rwanda has been a standout. The country has adopted e-government service initiatives, aggressively courted partnerships with international investors, and significantly reformed its private sector.<\/p>\n

Rwanda is now the highest ranked African country on the World Bank\u2019s Ease of Doing Business list \u2014 54th, ahead of countries such as Chile, Luxembourg, and Greece. The government is still chided on democracy and human rights issues (see its suppression of political dissent and Kagame\u2019s possible third term), but it has made undeniable progress in shaping a technology-driven business environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda is a startup country,\u201d the Minister of Youth and ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana told TechCrunch. \u201cOur development strategy has been clear from the beginning that ICT would be one of the foundations of our transformation,\u201d he said, referring to the country\u2019s Vision 2020 Program launched President Kagame in 2000. The plan has stated goals of transitioning Rwanda to a \u201cknowledge-based\u2026middle-income country\u201d with \u201cscience and technology\u201d as a \u201ccross-cutting influence\u201d to business and government.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most fundamental step toward this end was the establishment of a ministry devoted specifically to IT. With the exception of South Africa and Botswana, governments committing significant resources to ICT is a relatively recent trend in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya led the way in 2010 with completion of The East African Marine System (TEAMS) undersea fiber optic cable project.<\/p>\n

TEAMS increased East African broadband and led to the establishment of Kenya\u2019s Information and Communication Technology Authority. Both laid the foundation for the IT successes (namely mobile money) that have earned Kenya its Silicon Savannah moniker.<\/p>\n

Kenya and Rwanda\u2019s formation of ICT authorities and Africa\u2019s emerging technology movement have prompted other governments, such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania, to flesh out more defined national technology strategies.<\/p>\n

Minister Nsengimana welcomes increased national competition on the continent to foster innovation. He believes it is \u201cthe right thing to do for all African countries\u201d noting Rwanda\u2019s desire to be on top.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should end up with a constellation, where there are many tech hubs across the region,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in any constellation, not all stars have the same brilliance. My job is to make sure that Kigali and Rwanda become the most brilliant, but not by any means the only star in the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rwanda is posting some shining ICT achievements. The country should soon reach 40 percent internet penetration, up from less than 10 percent three years ago, according to government statistics.<\/p>\n

The improvement derives largely from a national investment of over $100 million in a 4,500-kilometer fiber optic network. Rwanda is rolling out its 4G LTE program nationwide and is the highest ranked African country on the Alliance for Affordable Internet\u2019s Affordability Index.<\/p>\n

In education, Rwanda\u2019s embraced technology at the primary school and university level through its One Laptop Per Child program and partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, which has created a Kigali campus offering advanced degree programs in computer science and IT.<\/p>\n

The list of Rwanda\u2019s ICT initiatives goes on. The country is manufacturing laptops for Argentine hardware maker Positivo BGH through its Kigali Special Economic Zone. It is hosting a tech-driven African Smart Cities Initiative with partner Ericsson.<\/p>\n

And next year it will launch the $100 million Rwanda Innovation Fund to invest in early stage tech startups. \u201cLeading on drones is just one example. We\u2019re also looking to lead in other cutting edge technologies such as blockchain and others,\u201d said Minister Nsengimana.<\/p>\n

In the case of drone delivery, Rwanda\u2019s progressive ICT stance may have already produced an innovation model with advanced economy impact.<\/p>\n

As TechCrunch reported in August, Zipline\u2019s Rwanda program gained the attention of the White House\u2019s UAV initiative, which has tapped the startup to test drone delivery of medical supplies to remote U.S. communities. \u201cWe have the U.S. Secretary of Transportation visiting our test facilities next month,\u201d said Zipline CEO Rinaudo. \u201cWith what we\u2019ve done in Rwanda just the last month there\u2019s been a big shift in terms of what\u2019s possible, especially in the developed world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"In<\/figure>\n

[Rwanda\u2019s tech initiatives prove African governments can catalyze innovation->https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/10\/31\/rwandas-tech-initiatives-prove-african-governments-can-catalyze-innovation\/]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{The government of Rwanda, in partnership with California-based startup Zipline, recently started the world\u2019s first national drone delivery program.} As an audience of local techies and international press looked on, President Paul Kagame sent the inaugural flight from a tablet-controlled launcher at a drone-port in Rwanda\u2019s Muhanga district. The scene stood in stark contrast to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[2735],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-29912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-techcrunch"],"bylines":[{"id":2735,"name":"Techcrunch","slug":"techcrunch","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":2735,"name":"Techcrunch","slug":"techcrunch","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29912"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=29912"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=29912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}