The Government of Rwanda has launched the first African Centre for The Fourth Industrial Revolution(C4IR); marking yet another milestone for Rwanda’s technology space.
The Centre is expected to boost Rwanda’s digital uptake by acting as a hub for innovation and growth; as artificial intelligence is the fulcrum of the fourth industrial revolution.
According to Paul Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation; “The vision of this center is to shape the trajectory of Rwanda’s digital transformation through progressive technology governance that is agile and human-centered; to respond to the most pressing challenges for us as a country and for the broader benefit of Africa.”
The First African Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The first African center for Artificial intelligence project was undertaken in partnership with the World Economic Forum(WEF); with part of its mission being to help formulate the country’s laws and policies regarding artificial intelligence.
“The launch of this centre is enabled by investments that we, as a country, have been making in science and technology. I hope the center will build on this by making the Fourth Industrial Revolution an equalizing force; and contributing solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges.
We are very happy to have the World Economic Forum as a partner in this crucial and other endeavors,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame during the launch of C4IR.”
Rwanda has witnessed substantial growth in its technology sector, thereby becoming a competitive hub for investors. Efforts by the government and its partners to support innovation have also seen an increasing rise in innovative products; meant to solve various challenges for the country and the continent.
“Our continent has a unique competitive advantage which stems from an undeniably entrepreneurial spirit that is built-in to our young generations.” Said Ingabire. “Through focused investment and policymaking, we can harness this spirit to solve problems; that address underserved communities who make up the majority of the world’s population,” he added.
The government of Rwanda has over the years, consistently and deliberately worked; to nurture progressive technology-oriented ideas from its youthful population.
In 2019, the country also launched a locally built-from-scratch high-tech smartphone, the first of its kind in Africa.
The smartphone was made by the Mara Group, thus making the Mara X model and the Mara Z model the first smartphones fully built-in Africa.
