IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
INFORMATION THROUGH ICTS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RWANDA & TANZANIA
By
Eng. George Mulamula
UNESCO IFAP Special Event,
Paris, 27th February 2013
IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
PRESENTATION
• INTRODUCTION
• ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
FRAMEWORK (Rwanda & Tanzania)
• INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK TO SUSTAIN
ICT POLICY ROLL-OUT (Rwanda & Tanzania)
• CHALLENGES (Rwanda & Tanzania)
• CONCLUSION
IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
INTRODUCTION
Policy makers beginning to understand:
• ICT is a tool and an enabler
• This presentation - comparative ICT policy
formulation analysis of experiences in both
Rwanda and Tanzania
IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
INTRODUCTION…
• Rwanda located a few degrees south of the
Equator bordered by Uganda, Tanzania,
Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, densely populated
• 1994 civil war and genocide decimated the
country
• Biggest challenge - reconcile the people of
Rwanda, build unity and grow the
economy
• Developed Vision 2020
IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
INTRODUCTION
• Tanzania is bordered by Kenya, Uganda,
Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique
and the Indian Ocean along the eastern
coast, twice the size of Rwanda
• Biggest challenge - reducing poverty &
grow the econmoy
• Developed Vision 2025
IFAP Special Event:
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Emerging Trends and Challenges
RWANDA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
• Team of experts in project planning, software and
hardware, telecommunications, and economist.
• Involved all stakeholders, had strategic
implementation plans, and associated costs
• NICI 1st Phase: (2001 – 2005) - period for advocacy on
computer usage and benefits.
• Top down approach (e.g. computer literacy, laptop
dissemination, cabinet usage)
• Result - greater efficiency, catalyst for better
governance
IFAP Special Event:
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Emerging Trends and Challenges
RWANDA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK…
• NICI 2nd Phase (2006-2010) - centered on
strengthening this new economic base
• Emphasis - development of key ICT infrastructure
and provision of certain services (e.g. backbone,
wibro, e-soko, eGov, video-conferencing, ICDL)
• Result - faster exchange of information, savings on
time, money and resource wastage reduction
IFAP Special Event:
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Emerging Trends and Challenges
RWANDA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK…
• NICI 3rd Phase (2011-2015) - seeks to sustain the
development and compete in the global market for
information-based services and products
• Emphasis - ICT skills development, private sector
development, ICT for community development, eGovernment and cyber security
• NICI 4th Phase (2016-2020) - will build on previous
phases to implement new processes that can bring
Rwanda to be a knowledgeable society and have a
middle-income status & achieve Vision 2020
IFAP Special Event:
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TANZANIA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
• Used ICT experts only in eThink-Tank and a ICT local
Consultant.
• Created a National ICT Organisation (“NICTO”) as a
Forum and focal point, on a public – private partnership.
• Objective – improve efficiency and productivity,
contribute to the reduction of poverty, improve the
quality of life of Tanzanians
• Result - National Information Communication Technology
Policy (NICTP) playing a facilitative role within the
production sector
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TANZANIA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK…
• 2003 - Ministry of Communication & Transport got
the NICTP approved by cabinet and parliament
• Next phase - sector by sector development of an
integrated implementation strategy
• This phase never materialized mainly due to lack of
strategic implementation plans and no coordinated
activities and ownership for M&E
• Result - ICT activities done in a “silo” manner by
NGOs, public and private sector (e.g., mHealth,
eAgriculture)
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TANZANIA’S ICT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK…
Way forward:
• Review of ICT Policy with technical assistance of UN
ECA and support from the Government of Finland
• Learning from best practices, the MCST will have a
team of ICT experts & sector experts to write up the
policy and implementation plan
• Stakeholder involvement - their plans incorporated
in the strategic implementation plan
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INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK TO SUSTAIN ICT POLICY ROLL-OUT
• GoR set up the National Information Technology
Commission (NITC) and the Rwanda Information
Technology Authority (RITA), now part of RDB
• NITC membership – key Cabinet Ministers, private &
public sector, led by the President
• Responsibilities of NITC:
– coordinating the development of Rwanda's ICT
Policy, Strategies and Plans & supervise RITA
– RITA Agency to do M&E with milestones & KPIs
.
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INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK TO SUSTAIN ICT POLICY ROLL-OUT…
• In 2003, GoT established the Tanzania
Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) as the
statutory regulatory body responsible for regulating
the communications and broadcasting sectors in
Tanzania
• TCRA developed the Telecommunications Bill,
touches on ICT, but vacuum in the ICT policy
implementation sector
IFAP Special Event:
Information and Knowledge for All,
Emerging Trends and Challenges
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK TO SUSTAIN ICT POLICY ROLL-OUT…
• In 2011, the GoT through the Commission for Science & Technology
(COSTECH) created an ICT Incubation Centre called Dar Teknohama
Business Incubator (DTBi) on a PPP basis that supports ICT Startups & SMEs. Objective – with ICT information to:
– develop open data portal of information and through ICT to
improve G2C, G2B and B2C services by creating citizen-centric
applications (mobile & web) with feedback
– assist entrepreneurs & innovators develop bankable ideas and
enterprises to be job creators
– assist in skills development and capacity building
– overcome the “valley of death” syndrome
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INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK TO SUSTAIN ICT POLICY ROLL-OUT…
• In 2012, MCST got Parliament approval to set up a
National ICT Board (NICTB) that will:
– coordinate all ICT activities in the country
– monitor and evaluate ICT initiatives
– provide strategic guidance for effective ICT
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RWANDA CHALLENGES
• Capacity and skills gaps -private sector and
Government
• The mountainous terrain makes ICT infrastructure
roll out difficult
• Funding
• Stimulating private sector entrepreneurship
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•
•
•
•
TANZANIA CHALLENGES…
“Will” to change and implement (system &
national good)
Spurring innovation & commercializing
R&D results
Funding
Competition for resources among
ministries, departments and agencies
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CONCLUSION
• Rwanda - implementing programmes in a
smaller country makes it easier, but
“weighed” down by the high population
density and mountainous terrain.
• Tanzania – with “silo” mentality, to have
complementary synergy will require
perseverance to stay the course
IFAP Special Event:
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CONCLUSION…
• Correct ICT policies and strategies that are citizencentric with feedback mechanisms
• Leadership and vision – crucial in attaining the socioeconomic goals of developing our countries
• Commend UNESCO for its role in Harnessing
Information Technology for Development in Africa
Eng. George Mulamula COSTECH/DTBi
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