Ange Mukarusagara never thought she would get the chance to use a computer at school.
That used to be the exclusive privilege of a handful of students at the National University of Rwanda. But times are changing.
The tiny Central African country wants to become one of the most plugged-in countries on the continent. Hundreds of kilometres of fibre-optic cables have been laid, the capital Kigali is working to become a high-tech hub and computers have been placed in thousands of schools.
Mukarusagara’s Groupe Scolaire de Muhura, a secondary school in a village set between hills and banana plantations, is one beneficiary.
”I had never dreamt of doing this,” the shy 22-year-old said as she clicked her desktop computer to open an interactive site showing the human respiratory process.
Like many second-level students in a country where conflict closed schools for long periods, she is older than Western counterparts. She is studying physics, chemistry and biology.
”This has now become my library,” Mukarusagara said. ”It is very difficult for us to access textbooks.”
Almost half Rwanda’s 2 300 primary schools now own at least two computers. More than 100 out of 500 secondary schools offer computer laboratories with wireless internet. And the government plans to provide all secondary schools with broadband access by 2010.
”In the absence of major natural resources, we can only depend on our human capital to grow this nation,” said Albert Butare, Minister for Energy and Communications.
Coffee and tea are Rwanda’s main export earners and have helped the economy grow at an average of 7% over the past five years, putting the country among the top economic performers in Africa during that time.
But the government wants to move away from reliance on rain-dependent agriculture.
”Look at what the Asian Tigers have done to grow their economies,” Butare said. ”The secret to their success is training their people in science and technology. This is the route we want to take.”
‘A country reborn’
Building up the information technology sector would help Rwanda deliver on its Vision 2020 development plan, which aims to raise per capita income to $900 from the present $230 by the end of the next decade.
But Rwanda is seeking more than just an economic transformation.
To the outside world, the country is still synonymous with the 1994 genocide of nearly 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Hutu extremists in a 100-day campaign.
Authorities are striving to change this image.
One part of the strategy has been to lure more tourists. Already home to a third of the world’s mountain gorillas, Rwanda announced plans this year to import rhinos to solidify its place as a top destination for wildlife enthusiasts.
President Paul Kagame has also sought to attract investors, saying the country’s location, zero tolerance for corruption and current peace and security were strong incentives.
Information technology is one of the areas which officials want to develop in order to win fresh foreign funds.
For now, state institutions are proving the boldest in making the leap into advanced technology as Rwanda seeks to position itself as an African leader in communications technology.
Bulky paper work for parliamentary sessions and Cabinet meetings is a thing of the past as all documents are handled electronically.
The senate, the Parliament’s upper house, is transforming itself into a high-tech base. It is offering free rent to get companies to move into the modern Kigali office tower that is its home.
And Rwanda has been chosen as the headquarters for a project to build a submarine cable that would drastically lower telecom costs in East Africa.
A fibre-optic cable runs to a telecom mast atop the 4 500m Karisimbi volcano, which is set to become a regional air traffic control centre.
The government can point the way, but for these high-tech plans to bear fruit, it needs the younger generation to commit to learning the right skills.
Early signs are promising.
From the primary level on, Rwanda’s education system favours science subjects, offering a wider range of such disciplines than previously. The Kigali Institute for Science and Technology, on ground once occupied by army barracks, has produced about 2 000 graduates since its establishment in 1997.
And more students are looking to follow this path.
”I have chosen to concentrate on physics so that I can do computer engineering at university,” said Pauline Hakizimana (20) who is also studying at Groupe Scolaire de Muhura. – Reuters