Rwanda is Building Africa’s Very Own Silicon Valley — Known as Kigali Innovation City
Rwanda is Building Africa’s Very Own Silicon Valley — Known as Kigali Innovation City (KIC)
A critical mass of talent, research and innovative ideas that will transform the continent!
Kigali Innovation City is part of the Government of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 program and National Strategy for Transformation 2017–2024.
It is an innovative effort, focused on the future workforce and competitiveness on the world stage. The first of its kind on the continent. The aim is to build a critical mass of talent, research, and innovative ideas that will transform the continent.
The government of Rwanda plans to attract both domestic and foreign universities, technology companies, biotech firms, agriculture, healthcare, and financial services; infrastructure including commercial and retail real estate.
Rwanda is a country to watch out for in the African tech space, a monumental milestone for Africa. Rwanda is Africa’s example of courageous leadership with a focus on embracing the future and infusing the youth with hope.
According to Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, “the KIC project has set itself the objectives of creating more than 50,000 jobs, generating $150 million in ICT exports per year, and attracting more than $300 million in foreign direct investment.”
The project started in 2018 and it's said to cost $2 Billion US Dollars. I believe this is the kind of initiative the rest of African leaders and governments should emulate instead of promising jobs that no longer exist to the masses as a means to secure more votes.
Times are changing, and so should the approach to solving economic/social ills. The new era being ushered in by Industry 4.0 demands that people be given the right resources/infrastructure, and in so doing, they’ll create their own employment/livelihoods. As mentioned in the book, Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted, “You can do more today with your life having just an internet connection and that’s an opportunity our parents and grandparents never had.”
And so, Rwanda is committed to becoming the gateway to a technologically developed Africa and it is realizing this with a consistent development strategy that is a sight to behold. Rwanda is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and leads the African continent in technological advancement and infrastructural development.
Rwanda is yet again preparing to build a $5 billion US Dollar model green city in Kigali. This project was set to start in January 2020. This will also be the first in Africa — to focus on green technologies and innovations for green and climate-resilient urbanization.
Many African nations complain about the negative impact on their development resulting from the legacy of colonialism which positioned Africa to be perpetually at the mercy of the Western World. However, Rwanda is choosing the noble and daring act of rewriting the script of her future. Rwanda is consciously positioning herself for the Fourth Industrial Revolution(4IR) and genuinely giving the future generations tools to succeed in an era of exponential technologies and unprecedented change.
In the 21 years since the1994 genocide, Rwanda has come a long way. Despite a near-total lack of natural resources, the country continues to rise, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. One key to this turnaround is technology. It seems that President Paul Kagame; also known as the “digital president” is positioning the country for an extraordinary leapfrog in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We want technology to sort of permeating all the professions, all the jobs,” says Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwanda’s Minister of Youth and Information Technology.
It’s really interesting to note that Rwanda has a Minister of Youth and Information Technolgy. This means the country is paying attention to its greatest asset — the youths!
Hopefully, the rest of the continent is watching and learning from Rwanda — a purposeful Government and leadership abreast with what is trending, positioning itself to be a reference point for economic advancement and innovation through cutting edge technologies.
Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted is indeed the mantra for Africa. Which states, “Africa’s hopeful transformation lies in viewing entrepreneurship as a viable career path, not only as a last resort for joblessness. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes center stage, Africa needs more entrepreneurs, innovators, start-ups, disruptors, inventors, pioneers, and thought leaders and we cannot afford to be reckless about what will transform our continent.”
There will be no soft landing for any government or anyone post Covid19. This pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease itself. The time for Africa to innovate is NOW! Unless we innovate, we will perish. The time for disruption is now! The Fourth Industrial Revolution is Africa’s greatest opportunity to leapfrog and compete on a global scale.
The new normal is here and it's not about the pandemic or advances in tech or robots taking over jobs; It is about a new era, new ways of thinking and new ways of doing business” ~Nicky Verd
