IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The Ministry of Youth and ICT, also known as MYICT, says it has developed a strategy that will help track and assess ICT progress in various institutions, including learning institutions.

The assessment, which will be quarterly, will cover all the sectors, with the view of measuring how the country performs in the ICT domain, and what that means in terms of national development.

Read more: RW: ICT Assessment Strategy Timely

All around the world, science and technology departments in schools and related jobs have mainly been populated by men. Many governments are therefore trying hard to get girls and women in those sectors, and Rwanda is no exception. Yet despite those efforts, women in technology are still rare, and upon hearing the word "geek" most people will automatically think of a man.

Yet when talking about technology and women in Rwanda, one name will invariably pop up: Clarisse Iribagiza. At just 24, she is the CEO of a mobile computing technology company called HeHe, and she rubbishes the idea that technology is not for women.

Read more: RW: Clarisse Iribagiza, a Role Model for Women in ICT

With effect from next year, government will be able to track the progress registered by ICT usage in various sectors, as a way of assessing its contribution towards national development.

Philbert Nsengimana, the Minister of Youth and ICT, said this on Monday, during a meeting that brought together representatives from various sectors that will be part of the drive.

"By tracking our progress, we are not looking at improving ranking, we want to assess work done in line with our responsibilities, so that we identify the challenges to come with effective measures," Nsengimana said.

Read more: RW: ICT Assessment Strategy in the Making

In a bid to modernize its practice and general information management and security, the Central Bank of Rwanda has unveiled a state of the art data center that centralizes key systems easing access and interconnectivity.

Key systems used at BNR such as the Rwanda integrated payments processing system (RIPPS), FINA-the system used to collect data from financial institutions and TeamMate, another system which enhances onsite inspection activities and the regional payments and settlement system (REPPS), Bloomberg and Reuters financial news services have all been backed on the system which has reportedly cost the Bank over Frw 300 million.

Read more: Central Bank of Rwanda Unveils Data Centre to Improve Information Security