Kezio-Musoke David
28 October 2008
Kigali — MTN Rwanda and the Commercial Bank of Rwanda are among some of the 43 top Rwandan companies that have been nominated for the Rwanda National Awards of Excellence in ICT.
The awards are also known as the 'Intego' ICT awards have seen MTN Rwanda receiving the most nominations in categories including best infrastructure, bridging the digital divide in rural areas, best Internet Service Provider (ISP). Other categories include awards for excellence in ICT capacity building, best export potential, best info-structure, best e-education amongst others.
According to information from the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA), a utility ICT agency, the nominees are categorised in 16 specialised areas with each category holding five nominees. The winner will presented with accolades in a gala ceremony presided over by president Paul Kagame on the October 31 at the Kigali Serena Hotel. RITA said voting for the nominees that commenced weeks ago will constitute votes from a panel of judges and the public. The public popular vote will constitute 30 per cent and the panel of Judges' vote 70 per cent. The popular vote will be executed using an on-line facility.
These are the first ever ICT awards to be held in Rwanda. RITA said last week that the awards which are to be celebrated on an annual basis are in line with Rwanda's National Information and Communication Infrastructure Plan II, (NICI). RITA authorities said that as envisaged in the NICI plan, the Rwanda National Awards of Excellence will be a high profile event where the focus is on "achievements of Rwandan firms in the area of information and communication technology."
Accordingly, the first edition is targeted specifically at the indigenous ICT Private sector. "This year, RITA is looking to use the ICT Awards to promote ICT private sector innovation, entrepreneurship, production of exportable ICT products, and penetration of ICTs among the under-served," said Nkubito Bakuramutsa, the out going Director General of RITA.
Mr Nkubito added that the awards will primarily be used among other purposes to promote ICT entrepreneurship, motivate Rwandan companies to produce exportable ICT products and to serve rural and underserved areas. "We want to use the awards to reward institutions and individuals that have excelled in adopting best ICT practices and to showcase achievements by Rwandan institutions and individuals in the area of ICT," Bakuramutsa added.
Accordding to Mr. Bakuramutsa that awards will be used to create a clear path for the way forward to ensure Rwanda's Vision 2020 of transforming the economy into an information-rich, knowledge-based ICT economy is fulfilled. "It is important to note that one of the best ways to encourage excellence and innovation is to recognize every single step that is taken in the right direction.
Undeniably, RITA's motivation at this stage is not to use the awards to reward excellence per se but rather to instill the best ICT practices, recognize and encourage those who have made significant strides in Rwanda's ICT for Development Vision."
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
