Broadband has been instrumental in helping Rwanda achieve its development goals, president Paul Kagame told the ninth meeting of the United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Co-chairing the meeting with Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú, Kagame appealed to members of the commission to focus on access and affordability to services and not just infrastructure.
“For us in Rwanda, broadband and ICTs play a major role in the progress we have so far made towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Broadband and ICTs contribute to our economic growth and help deliver more efficiently in education, health, finance and banking and other sectors,” Kagame said.
“Our initial focus was putting in place the infrastructure and tools to connect citizens to the digital era, and accelerating rollout and affordability of broadband services, especially for mobile broadband. We should now focus on unleashing the smart use of broadband to help people use services in ways that will significantly improve their lives.”
Kagame said it was important the various sectors engage in honest dialogue and cooperation.
“The broadband model we have adopted is based on effective public-private partnership, guided by what works on the ground. We believe that there must be candid and consistent dialogue between industry and government – the kind that will generate trust and productivity,” he said.
