Social Education: GoR has implemented numerous ICT in education initiatives including ICT training for teachers and One Laptop Per Child that are transforming the delivery and quality of education; Science and Technology scholarships that are growing the number of ICT capacity; Schoolnet that aims to improve connectivity and deploy ICT tools in 12-year basic education schools; RwEdNet that is interconnecting Rwanda’s institutions of higher learning and linking them to global education and research networks, and the Rwanda Education Commons a onestop portal for education information. These initiatives are transforming and improving the delivery and quality of education in Rwanda. Health: Numerous ICT initiatives have been implemented in health such as: OpenMRS – an open-source medical records system that facilitates nationwide tracking of patient data; TRACnet – a system that allows central collection and storage of clinical health information; Mobile eHealth – a system used by community health workers to collect data for OpenMRS and TRACnet systems; Telemedicine – that is connecting King Faisal Hospital to Hospitals in Kabgayi and Musanze facilitating the sharing of clinical information between urban and rural hospitals, and most importantly allowing citizens to receive specialized treatment services remotely without travelling to Kigali. These initiatives are transforming healthcare delivery and helping Rwanda achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health, which is earning Rwanda critical acclaim world-wide. Governance E-Government: Numerous e-Government initiatives such as the modern and secure National ID and driving license; e-Cabinet; e-Parliament, document tracking and workflow management system; financial management system (FMS) and human resource management system (HRMS) have been or are in the process of being deployed to improve government operations and service delivery to citizens. One of the key tools introduced by the GoR in 2006 to reinforce participation and accountability of local government is performance-based contracts, locally referred to as “Imihigo”. Imihigo is an old cultural practice of Rwanda where an individual would set him/herself targets to be achieved within a specific period of time. Through this approach, local governments and communities set their own priorities and strategies to achieve their goals. Furthermore, hundreds of local government officials and citizens have been trained in ICTs to promote ICT literacy and citizen participation in the country’s development. These initiatives will most certainly improve government-to-citizen (G2C) services and facilitate more development in the governance cluster. 1.5. Challenges and Opportunities The principle that guides this strategy is that Rwanda should not only be a consumer of ICT goods and services, but also an active producer and developer of cutting-edge technology and high value services. However, numerous challenges still hinder Rwanda’s ICT development. NICI III aims to address these challenges and presents opportunities that Rwanda can take advantage of over the next five years to fast track the achievement of Vision 2020 goals. Energy: Energy access and high costs are a major impediment to Rwanda’s industry and services sectors. The country has low per capita electricity consumption relative to the East African Community with only 13% of the population having access to electricity, moreover with power outages. Electricity generation costs are high as well as the feed-in tariff of power that Page 19 of 85   © No part of this document can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without the permission of Rwanda Ministry in charge of ICT in the Office of the President.