For almost three decades, innovation and technology have been at the center of Rwanda’s development journey and, according to Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, it is more than an option but a must, given the “context of Rwanda”.
The premier made the comments while speaking at 10th edition of the World Government Summit, started in Dubai.
The city hosts more than 10,000 government officials including 20 Heads of State, as well as global business pioneers such as Elon Musk, International Monetary Fund boss Kristalina Georgieva, World Economic Fund leaders and others.
Also present at the summit are thought leaders, world experts and decision makers who are expected to discuss ideas and strategies to shape a better future for humanity especially through international cooperation and joint efforts. .
For Ngirente, the theme “Shaping the Future of Governments” highlights the importance of clear leadership, to build systems that respond to current and future challenges.
While sharing Rwanda’s experience, he said the government is prioritizing its efforts in technology and innovation for the country’s sustainable development journey.
“First, is the significant focus on digital technology in the past twenty years, with the understanding of its role as an important enabler of economic growth. Our long-term Vision is implemented in accordance with our long-term strategy for the National Information and Communications Infrastructure,” Ngirente told a packed audience in Dubai.
From 2008, he pointed out, Rwanda deployed nationwide fiber optic, and has now achieved 95 percent 4G LTE broadband coverage.
This, Ngirente added, ensures accessible, affordable and secure digital services for the public and private sectors.
“The achievement of the digital transformation process focuses primarily on laying the foundational legal and regulatory framework to allow the liberalization of the telecommunications sector and attract private sector investments, facilitating the launch of infrastructure to connect the people by increasing the coverage of telecommunications networks and licensing more operators.”
“As a result, now more than 90 percent of our government services can be accessed online, and we continue to work to digitize all services by 2024. This has reduced transaction costs, improved delivery of service and empowered citizens.”
Infrastructure development is essential
Equally important, the main emphasis, is the development of infrastructure to provide new opportunities, lower the cost of doing business, and attract local and foreign investment.
For example, he said, Rwanda continues to invest heavily in national road connectivity and neighboring countries, as well as air connectivity of the national airline.
As a result, in terms of road quality, the World Economic Forum ranked Rwanda 39th worldwide and third in Africa.
“To support a growing tourism and business sector, the Government is also investing in new hospitality, meeting and sports facilities that attract more visitors and events throughout the year.”
In line with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 development strategy, Ngirente said, the government is investing in the modernization of agriculture and livestock to ensure food security, and increase exports.
“Because of this, we see that De-risking the agricultural sector must be a priority to make it more profitable and attractive, especially to the youth. This is done by starting several schemes such as the scheme of Agricultural Insurance, single digit agricultural interest rate .”
“We have also established a robust post-harvest handling system to limit food loss and waste, we promote smart farming techniques, such as increasing irrigation coverage to reduce the negative impact of climate change. or the climate as well as the use of ICT systems in agriculture. We have made good progress in plant breeding research, which now produces locally most of the better seeds used.”
More investment in quality education
The population of Rwanda is mostly young people and now is the time to make human capital development our biggest priority, according to Ngirente.
It is also a key driver of high-income growth and a foundation for sustainable development, he added.
|We are making concerted efforts to invest in quality education at all levels, with particular emphasis on skill development in science and technology, as well as in Technical and Vocational Training (TVET).
For example, he said, Rwanda has partnered with world-class educational institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University-Africa (CMU), and the African Leadership University (ALU), currently based in Kigali.
“We are beginning to see some tangible results from these initiatives. For example, from the year 2000, Rwanda has maintained its annual economic growth at an average of more than 7 percent.”
Rwanda’s GDP has more than tripled, and life expectancy has increased from 49 years to just over 69 years in 2022.
The country’s ability to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) has also increased, and this Ngirente said, reflects the work done to improve the Ease of Doing Business, where Rwanda always ranks high.
“In turn, this has helped boost local production with the private sector at the core of business expansion.”
In the face of post Covid-19, the country’s economic recovery plan focuses on incentives to facilitate private sector investment in key sectors, with a focus on manufacturing.
“We also look forward to welcoming and facilitating more investment in all sectors. There is no doubt that the present and the future of humanity are shaped by technology and innovation. Rwanda makes this reality the focus in our journey towards economic development and transformation,” Ngirente assured.
During this year’s summit, speakers will discuss the experiences of their governments, the prospects for international cooperation in building a better future for countries and peoples, in addition to many other topics, including challenges faced with sustainable development, climate issues, global financial policies, the prospects of the global economy, and the future of health care.
The New Era understood that Ngirente will also accept to sign some Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) at the summit. Details of the agreements were not shared at the time of publication.