An IBM team spent one month in Kigali working on three projects which were aligned with the Rwanda government’s SMART Rwanda agenda. The projects dealt with the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda National Police and the Imbuto Foundation. They then presented their recommendations to Rwandan authorities with a view to bolster the country’s development, public safety, citizen engagement and economic opportunities.
This was as a result of the long-term agreement signed by IBM and Rwanda Ministry of Education in March 2015 to improve research capabilities in institutions of higher learning through the use of modern technology. The IBM team report highlighted ways in which information technologies such as data analytics could help the nation reach its goals. Sharing and analyzing useful data in a timely way will enable officials to more easily formulate, monitor and refine the progress of their plans.
At the end of their assignment, IBM specialists presented their findings and recommendations to their three clients;
Rwanda Development Board; The team provided a blueprint for the implementation of a Smart Dashboard that will give one visit – visibility to all the data and details of SMART Rwanda Program, with its diverse range of ICT projects. This comes as an answer to the difficulties encountered in the process of collecting information and providing accurate reports in real time. The dashboard mechanism will empower all the stakeholders to easily know the status of the projects and take informed decisions based on insights.
Rwanda National Police; IBM specialists provided recommendations on an overall framework to continue integration of ICT into the police activities. They will allow data sharing and analysis across departments, it will also help improve operational efficiency and streamline processes as well as making information more accessible to Rwandan citizens.
Imbuto Foundation; The team came up with a set of recommendations to support the rollout of SMART Rwanda Master Plan WEM-Tech initiative. This is designed to empower women by increasing their access and participation in different economic opportunities through the enablement of technology.
Africa has become a strong focus for IBM’s Corporate Service Corps as IBM expands its operations across the continent and forges new strategic relationships with governments, clients and not-for-profit organizations. The Corps provides problem-solving support to educational institutions, small businesses, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies in emerging markets. In Kenya, locations for CSC teams have included Machakos and Nyeri. CSC projects have focused on helping the government extend digital services to rural areas. They have also worked with orphanages and schools and participated in community activities.