Dr. Shem, That insight on Rwanda being transparent in the way they conduct their ICT is more than fascinating.I believe you were there for how long 3 years(more or less).How much time do we need to reach there as Kenyans?We have all the resources that we need to get us going.I also would love to participate as a local entrepreneur to driving Kenya into the digital age.These is where we are failing as a country.We are outsourcing heavily to other companies while the local guys we are left with little to scramble.I wish the government would be more dedicated to the local guys and support them. Regards,
On 13/6/08 2:11 PM, "Shem Ochuodho" <shemochuodho@yahoo.com> wrote:
Victor, I wouldn't have responded to this, save for the record. I am not sure which Rwandan 5-star hotel you are talking about (as they are not many), but whatever the case, you and I seem to be talking about 2 different Rwanda's. And btw, 300km of fiber for Rwanda is not the same thing as 300km for Kenya, not that Kenya's laid and functional national fiber is significantly much higher! Even with the fact that it would be unfair to compare Rwanda's ICT status with Kenya's (given the countries' histories, sizes, populations, and economies), one cannot deny the fact that Rwanda is a miracle story, largely due to leadership and vision. And it is not only limited to ICT: look at governance, gender, security (Kigali is one of the safest of the 40+ African cities am familiar with), cleanliness/environment, good roads, etc. This is not to say Rwanda does not have its flip side; of course it does, e.g. democracy and private sector are still nascent, limited human resource base, etc. Back to ICT: neither you nor I would be the best judge on whether Rwanda or Kenya is doing better in ICT. But last year's UNCTAD's Global ICT Diffusion Index put Rwanda at per with (if not ahead of) Kenya. If we are talking implementation, sample this:- 1. Rwanda was the 1st Sub-Saharan Africa's country to link its two largest cities by fiber 2. Rwanda's Cabinet sessions are e-ready (a good number of ministers prepare their own power point presentations) 3. Rwanda is the only country I know of where within 24 hrs of a Cabinet meeting, decisions are available on the web (Official Govt website - talk of transparency!) 4. Rwanda's e-Parliament is being used by NEPAD as a model for Africa - Internet-ready/WiFi/WiBro at every point of 'Parliament's' precinct (both Senate and Chamber of Deputies) 5. Rwanda was the first African country where e-Schools was simultaneously launched in all the 6 urban-rural schools with live webcast 6. Nearly 80% Govt offices in Kigali have fiber-to-office 7. About 10 local/district headquarter sites already have functional video-conferencing facilities connected to Kigali 8. Rwanda was first Sub-Saharan Africa to establish an ICT/TechnoPark (already with over a dozen active clients/innovators/companies) 9. Rwanda is the only African country I know of whose IFMIS (Treasury/Ministry of Finance System) is anchored on a locally developed software, by a Rwandan company (talk of supporting local private sector) 10. Telemedicine Network: several major hospitals are already connected 11. With Rwanda's Karisimbi 'Earth Satellite Station' linked to a Transponder in Stockholm, in October 2006 Rwanda was able to negotiate with Intelsat bandwidth rates down from US$ 4,500 per Mbps a month (which is what everybody pays - some countries pay as high as $6,000) to $1,300. COMESA/ADB have now adopted the facility for use for regional air-traffic control and surveillance. 12. On the e-legislation front, Rwanda was one of the first Africa's countries to evolve an IPR Law, and its e-Transactions Law (like ours) is under consideration. .... I could go on and on with the list. If these don't constitute 'achievements', then I don't know what does. Btw, several African countries I know of are borrowing one leaf or the other from the Rwandan 'humble' experience (including its plans). But then again, is it fair for Kenya to compare with Rwanda? Shouldn't we have done much better than we have? I recall a saying that 'one thing's their mother is the best cook in the world until you taste another woman's dish'. Of course am not saying we have done nothing/little; my contention is that there are strategic things we could and should do to make an even greater leap. Best rgrds, Shem
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