RWANDA INTRODUCES WIFI FOR ALL

Smart Kigali

Rwanda introduces free Wi-Fi for very one to simplify business transactions

Kigali has been the first city in East Africa to introduce the use of Wi-Fi free wireless Internet in specific areas of the capital for all to make business transactions easier.

The service under the “Smart Kigali” initiative, joining the ranks of “digital cities” such as Toronto, Houston, Buenos Aires, Bangkok and Taipei.

This is a plastic card the size of a credit card with an embedded microchip that can be loaded with data used for telephone calling, electronic cash payments and other applications and then periodically refreshed for additional use.

The service can also be used to pay for parking at parking meters, to get on subways, trains, or buses, give hospitals or doctors personal data without filling out a form and to make small purchases at electronic stores on the web and to buy gasoline at a gasoline station.

Speaking at the launch of the service Philbert Nsengimana, Minister for ICT reassured the public that the project is sustainable because it comes with a business model that the government has plans to ensure more Rwandans have access to smart devices to tap into the opportunity.

The government has in the past launched projects in the ICT sector that crumbled before take-off because of lack of sustainability Rwanda did not have the critical mass of Internet users to make the projects viable.

But according to RDB reports, in the past five years, Rwanda has registered one of the highest Internet user growth rates in Africa with 8,900 per cent compared with the continent’s growth rate of 2,450 per cent and the world average rate of 444 per cent.

In 2010, more than 38.9 per cent of Rwanda’s public sector (ministries, agencies, provinces and districts) and 34.5 per cent of the private sector had a web presence. According to government statistics, there are over 3.1 million mobile subscribers, representing 32 per cent penetration of mobile usage.

The country’s Vision 2020 hopes to transform Rwanda into a middle-income country and transition from an agrarian economy into an information-rich, knowledge-based society by 2020.

Mr. Nsengimana argues that Smart Kigali is not a project to benefit only the elite who can afford smart gadgets but will extend to the majority of Rwandans after the government launched Vizio, a programme that will see it negotiate with manufacturers and banks to offer smart gadgets to low income citizens.

To improve financial services, the Electronic Payments Systems has been enhanced to promote efficient use of existing payments systems such as ATM’s VISA cards and others that facilitate electronic transactions.

All these services will position Kigali not only as a clean city but also a connected and smart city.

ENDS.