SECTION ONE Preamble and Background to the Government of Rwanda’s Integrated Socio-Economic and ICT Policy and Strategies Preamble 1. The Government of Rwanda (GOR) recognized the role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in accelerating the socio-economic development of Rwanda towards an information and knowledge economy. The GOR believes that Rwanda is equally placed to take advantage of these technologies to facilitate her socio-economic development process. 2. The GOR acknowledges that in the new emerging economic order, the fundamental basis for wealth creation and national prosperity is information and knowledge and that Rwanda cannot afford to be without either of these. 3. The GOR also recognizes that the information and knowledge economy is generating opportunities across all sectors in a number of developed and developing countries. --- It is a new source for the creation of quality jobs, wealth generation and redistribution, rapid economy development and prosperity as well as a source for facilitating global competitiveness. 4. The GOR further recognizes that geographic data and information are essential to social and economic planning and development. It believes that they are much a part of the nation’s information infrastructure as the other elements of the infrastructure and should be accorded the same level of support. In this context, ICT policies and strategies, including NICIs, will take into account the geoinformation component. 5. With the emerging information revolution, the GOR sees ICTs as a key factor for achieving progress in economic and social development in Rwanda. The Government believes that ICTs are offering Rwanda a window of opportunity to leap-frog the key stages of industrialization and transform her subsistence agriculture dominated economy into a service-sector driven high value-added information and knowledge economy that can compete on the global market. 6. The GOR further acknowledges that if Rwanda is to move her industrially weak, subsistence agriculture based economy towards an information and knowledge economy it will need to develop a comprehensive integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies, strategies and plans. It will therefore not be enough for Rwanda to implement a number of isolated ICT projects and programmes or sectorial policies that are not tied to the country’s overall socio-economic development objectives, strategies and programmes. 7