It is well known that the twenty-first century belongs to the world of ICT. It is a century of knowledge.
The Internet has even made this knowledge widespread and accessible to anybody who seeks information. Thus, if other technological revolutions such as the industrial revolution had bypassed Africa with impunity, it would be unpardonable for the continent to allow itself to be overtaken by this information revolution.1 This ICT revolution is the only one that has reduced the entire globe to a miniature world, the global village.
Rwanda has, in cognizance of this new phenomenon of the information revolution, decided not to be left behind and has taken on ICTs with enthusiasm and courage. And this seems to be paying off. A report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development dated October 3rd, 2006, released in New York and Geneva ranked Rwanda top of the league in East Africa.
Rwanda is one of Africa’s poorest countries and owing to structural challenges, socioeconomic and political, coupled with conflict and genocide in 1994, had her per capita income slip to US$220 in 2004. Today, about 60 percent live below the poverty line.3 It is against this background that the GOR from the outset identified ICTs as a viable vehicle for propelling the country’s socioeconomic development. According to the RITA,4 ICTs are taking a leading role in Rwanda’s development efforts. They have been identified as being integral to Rwanda’s growth strategy and as key tools in transforming the predominantly agricultural economy into a service oriented one.
