Rwanda is set to become one the first African countries with high-capacity data connections to its hospitals, schools and other public institutions. This follows the approval of a $60m regional communication infrastructure project by the Rwanda senate.
The project, which is funded by the International Development Association to the tune of $24m, involves supplementary funds from the Rwandan government totalling $36m.
It involves the extension of the broadband submarine cable from Mombasa, Kenya, to all districts in Rwanda.
Rwanda’s Energy Minister, Albert Butare, told the senate that the government had earmarked the money to have the optic fibre cables connected to all government institutions like hospitals and schools and linked to submarine cables landing in Kenya.
Butare said the connectivity would help the private institutions to access communication lines with ease, explaining that currently Rwanda’s telecommunication was done through satellite which, he said, was expensive and limited in capacity.
He also said the fibre optic cable would give Rwanda access to international gateway and would reduce the costly dependence on satellite communications and that the financing agreement for the project was signed in October last year between the government and IDA
Industry experts noted that the move by the country was a direct step to boost the development of telemedicine and distance e-learning education as well as other applications that can aid productivity.
