I travelled to Kigali last week for a couple of days. In the preceding days, media reports were awash with a debate over the proposed making of the whole of Kigali a hot spot. I decided to establish the truth of these reports while in Kigali.
On arrival at the small, but smart airport, I was surprised to see Internet connected public computers. I went to one and found a gentleman reading the day’s newspaper online. I involved him into a conversation and he explained to me how it worked. For 100 Rwandese Francs (Uganda shs 300/- or 10 Euro cents), one could surf the net for 10 minutes. I found it very convenient and cheap.
On the way to the city, I saw new cameras along the highway. When I asked the driver who came to meet me, he told me that all streets in Kigali had cameras. They were for both traffic control and security. I asked him about Kigali being a hotspot, but he had no idea about that
The next day I asked some journalists about it, but they refused to go on record. However, they referred me the communication manager of the Rwanda development corporation Mr. Emma Nsekanabo. I got his contact and called him. He confirmed to me that in a very short time, the whole Kigali would be a hot spot. The service will be free for a number of months as the government works out a business model with a private partner who will manage it. But for now, you can access free Internet anywhere in Kigali provided you have a PC or laptop.
Emma added that after studying the Kigali project, government would decide whether to make the whole country a hotspot or not. And you say Rwanda is not leading in ICT?
1 comment:
Way to go, Rwanda!
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