World Bank approves eRwanda Project
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved US$10 million grant to establish a fully fledged eRwanda Project. The leadership and management of this project will be under the supervision of the Rwanda Information and Technology Authority (RITA).
The conception of eRwanda dates way back to October 2005, when a consultative workshop was organized involving all stakeholders that paved way to the planning process. The project was officially approved on 7 September 2006 and is planned to last till 31 December 2010.
In order to set the process of establishing the eRwanda Project, the Human Resources and Institutional Capacity Development Agency (HIDA) with the support of the World Bank earmarked about US$350,000. These funds were under the ICT component of the Public Sector Capacity Building Project which is being managed by HIDA. These funds provided for remuneration of staff, equipment, facilities and consultancy services during the preparation phase.
“ Rwanda has made laudable progress in the deployment of ICT and the approval of the grant for the E-Rwanda Project is an illustration of the World Bank's commitment to supporting Rwanda 's strategic decision to use technology as an enabler for development,” the bank's Task Team Leader for E-Rwanda project, Arleen Cannata Seed reported.
The key objective of the project is to improve (i) efficiency and effectiveness of some internal processes of the Government of Rwanda, and (ii) the delivery of services in selected key sectors including better access to information through the use of technology.
The Project will complement existing activities by the World Bank and other development partners, in particular in the social sectors and in rural development. It draws heavily from the fundamental building blocks lain in the Public Sector Capacity Building Project (PSCBP) in the areas of basic support of government functions, improvement of service delivery, and capacity building.
The project supports four components which include Strengthening government effectiveness; Improving Service delivery to citizens and the private sector; Improving Access to Services through enhanced Infrastructure in Energy and Telecommunications; and Project management . This project aims at using technology as an enabler to growth and development.
