If there is any country that is at the forefront of excellence and advancement, it is Rwanda. The country is doing right all the things that matter for unprecedented economic growth through empowering the locals. A few examples:
Students in a classroom in one of the remote places in Rwanda. Imagine how good and competitive these kids will be in 10 years!
Infrastructure
Rwanda’s infrastructure is slated to become the best in Africa, if not yet already. Every time I visit this small country, there is always a new spectacular. The road network, quality of the infrastructure, the cleanliness of facilities, organized parking and now the Internet.
Things work the way they should.
In fraud investigations we have what we call, rationalization – the fraudsters’ justification for stealing. Countries which Rwanda has surpassed refer to it “as a small place.’ Oblivious of the fact that it is not about the size of a place, rather the quality of life of people in any place that matters. And as the saying goes, “it does not matter how much resources you have, if you don’t know how to use them, they still won’t be enough.’
Rwanda has no natural resources to talk about. They have the knowledge and capability to use the little they have optimally. For example, my friends in London know that Mountain Guerrillas are found in Rwanda only in East Africa! That is what having the right people in the right ministry means to a country’s economic growth and visibility.
Education
If there is anything that can take everyone out of poverty, that thing is education. All other things are just details.
Now Rwanda is planning to be fully LTE by 2016. There other focus is one laptop per child! This is what thought leadership all about.
Accessing a used personal laptop at the age of 25 has been one of the single most turning points in my entire life! And being able to connect it to the Internet open a world of possibilities and opportunities. Being able to access fantastic resources on-line is the best gift for anyone.
What I achieved at 25 years is being provided to Rwandese children at the age of 7! Imagine how great Rwanda will become. It is difficult to fail to earn a living if you have practical skills, not in the error of Google, Elance.com, and donation websites and resources available. You can easily compete in the global market place without leaving your bed to look for a job.
Governance
If it is working time, you are sure to find any public official in any office. No excuses. If the top most senior is not available, there will always be someone with delegated authority to address your concerns to your satisfaction.
I have met police officers, ministers and top executives without having made prior appointment. You just see the office, and go there.
Recently, I was in Kigali and a vehicle hit a motorcyclist with a passenger. Instead of running off [he had the chance to disappear], the vehicle driver pulled over, called police, and we left them discussing. I found this amazing.
The list of Rwanda’s wonders is endless.
The country has empowered energetic young people to take the lead. In many ministries, you will find people at worst in their early forties, as the leaders. Rwanda understands that to grow the country, the dot com people have to be in the driving seat, and they are slowly entering into cabinet.
Everything we have got to know and use relies on technology. And that is why Rwanda’s model as center of excellence in the use and application of information technology is the best. It is not just talking about e-governance, m-governance, or such theory. They are doing it.
It no longer enough to refer to just refer to Rwanda as the ‘Silicon Valley of Africa’ for Rwanda’s outlook is beyond that. The leadership is positioning the country for something special.
Rwanda will soon become a model country of the world. I am proud that by then, I won’t need a visa to go there. And someone who has been actively involved in training some Rwandese in governance, ICT security and risk management, I am happy to be part of this journey.
Mustapha Barnabas Mugisa, CFE is a founder and CEO Institute of Forensics & ICT Security (IFIS), based in Kampala. IFIS is the only institute the offers PRACTICAL skills in computer security, ethical hacking, and computer forensics. To prove our skills, you give us a case to handle! Like, “hey, here is my domain, prove that it is secure or not secure.” This way, you save your hard earned money, by paying it to only folks with the skill to add value to your IT security.
