Airtel, MTN Rwanda

from PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda 
KIGALI – LEADING mobile operators have launched an initiative to drive mobile internet adoption and increase digital literacy in Rwanda.

Airtel and MTN announced the scheme at the Mobile 360 Africa event in Kigali, the capital.

The programme is around digital inclusion as part of the Mobile Special Group Association’s/ Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association/ GSMA’s) We Care initiative in Rwanda.

We Care is launched in collaboration with Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, supporting government efforts to boost ICT penetration and digital services across the country.

“Today’s (Tuesday’s) agreement marks an unprecedented collaborative action by Rwanda’s mobile industry to harness the power of the mobile internet to empower citizens and deliver on the promise of a ‘Digital Rwanda’,” commented Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA.

Paula Ingabire, Rwanda Minister of ICT and Innovation, said increasing digital inclusion in Rwanda would go a long way in empowering citizens.

“Through We Care, Airtel and MTN are taking significant steps to accelerate digital inclusion across the country,” Ingabire said.

As part of the We Care initiative, Airtel and MTN will use GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit to train sales agents and educate customers on how to access mobile internet services.

Some 10 000 sales agents would be trained.

“MTN Rwanda’s purpose is to bring the benefits of modern connected life to all,” Bart Hofker, CEO of MTN Rwanda, said.

We Care was launched in Latin America in 2014 and is now running 25 campaigns across the region in collaboration with 55 local operators. In Africa, it is already live in Kenya and Ivory Coast.

– CAJ News