ITU ROA SNIPPETS - Rwanda
Date: 7-10 may 2018: Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development / Transform Africa Summit
Objective: How to ensure that the advances of the 21st century do not bypass the 3.8 billion people, often the poorest of the poor, who do not have broadband digital connectivity.
Number of Participants: 34 leaders from government, industry, international organizations and academia. These included the ITU Secretary General, Mr. Houlin Zhao and the Director of BDT, Mr. Brahima Sanou. They also attended Transform Africa Summit with over 4000 participants.
Results /Impact:
On Sunday, 6 May, Commissioners took part in onsite sessions of four Broadband Commission Working Groups: Vulnerable Countries, Epidemic Preparedness, Digital Entrepreneurship and Digital Health.
The Working Group on Vulnerable Countries discussed and identified recommendations to support increased access to broadband services in these countries; the Working Group on Digital Health addressed ways governments can use digital health to address non communicable diseases to improve Universal Health Care, and the Working Group on Epidemic Preparedness identified best practices for epidemic preparedness. This was followed on Monday, 7 May, with the full-day annual Spring Meeting of the Commission.
The ITU Secretary General, the Director of BDT and the Regional Director for Africa also attended the Transform Africa Summit, a high level platform bringing together over 4,000 participants to discuss the disruptive but also the enabling and strategic role of ICT for the rapid transformation of Africa. The Secretary General and the Regional Director for Africa participated in the Digital Hub, a side event promoting the ITU-WHO initiative, “Digital Health for Africa”.
Date: 8-10 May 2018: Evaluation of the Wireless Broadband project of Rwanda implemented by ITU with RURA/RISA /BSC
Objective: Evaluation and Transfer of Title of the project and sites surveys with end users interviews.
Participants: RURA/BSC, Bluetown( vendor), BDT team
Results /Impact: Evaluation survey and Interviews were conducted in 3 sites. The National Management center at Telecom House, the district of Rwamagana, and the District of Rulindo.
• The Administrative authority of the District were interviewed and showed their great interest and satisfaction for using this Network.
• The Rural schools interviewed are all equipped with laptops from the Ministry of Education, and they are using the network, for teachers training programmes , reporting to Kigali and students have ICT/computers classes for their initiation to Internet and e-learning applications.
• The Health center visited confirmed the high benefit provided by the network, in the administrative follow up and reporting of patients, treatment, e-health applications, Social security insurance follow up, (Gynecologic and medical stocks, management and declaration of the new born babies, etc. Head of Health Center was very improved by the quality and the high speed of the network easing their day to day task.
• Following a short meeting with the ICT Minister and the Director of BDT, the Transfer of Title was signed, and will be transferred to Geneva in due course.
