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Building a STEM-Ready Future

Building a STEM-Ready Future

The Implications of Robotics Education in Rwanda  On the 4th of March, the FIRST LEGO League Championship in Rwanda brought together 350 students from 35 schools to showcase their robotics, problem-solving skills, and dedication of young Rwandans to STEM...

AI Ethics, why does it matter for Rwanda?

AI Ethics, why does it matter for Rwanda?

“AI Ethics provides a comprehensive set of considerations for responsible AI that combines safety, security, human concerns, and environmental concerns,” the Rwanda Ethical AI Webinar panelists stated . While the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) is finalizing the Rwanda AI Ethical Guidelines to guide AI developers in Rwanda on ethical AI, GIZ FAIR Forward and C4IR hosted a webinar on Ethical AI, bringing together AI systems developers, deployers, and policy-makers to discuss and to learn what ethical AI is & how it is helping the Rwandan AI ecosystem build responsible & trustworthy AI systems.

An AI Ethics primer for the Rwandan AI ecosystem and consultation on ethical AI guidelines

An AI Ethics primer for the Rwandan AI ecosystem and consultation on ethical AI guidelines

The AI Ethics Applied Programme & Consultation, via FAIR Forward and GIZ Rwanda, in partnership with the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), equips stakeholders from the Rwandan AI ecosystem with knowledge on how to put ethical AI into practices and provides RURA with first-hand feedback on the upcoming ethical AI guidelines.

Open Call for the Rwandan AI ecosystem: AI Ethics Applied Programme and Consultation

Open Call for the Rwandan AI ecosystem: AI Ethics Applied Programme and Consultation

GIZ Rwanda, in partnership with the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) and the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), is launching an open call for the Rwandan AI ecosystem: “AI Ethics Applied Programme and Consultation”, via the initiative FAIR Forward. Startups, SMEs, corporates, students, academics, and government institutions interested in how to develop AI solutions in an ethical way can apply to be part of this training programme.

Behind the scenes of the AI fellowship – How university graduates can kickoff their career in AI

Behind the scenes of the AI fellowship – How university graduates can kickoff their career in AI

Organizations are rapidly leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build cutting-edge applications and services that can improve the quality of life, make business operations more efficient, and reduce complexities. As the artificial intelligence workforce continues to expand, it’s important for tech professionals to consider honing their skills in certain areas if they want to pursue a career in AI.

The inclusive innovation 2030 Rwanda Smart City Edition Journey

The inclusive innovation 2030 Rwanda Smart City Edition Journey

The ii2030 Rwanda Smart City Edition is set to disrupt the fundamental ways a system works. A single solution prototype for the three tracks air pollution, road safety and solid waste management will be delivered by the end of the co-creation with different stakeholders across Rwanda.

ICT skills today and tomorrow – Sharing insights from the training needs assessment for ICT professionals in Rwanda

ICT skills today and tomorrow – Sharing insights from the training needs assessment for ICT professionals in Rwanda

The Rwanda private ecosystem is hungry for future skills related to emerging technologies, according to a TNA study conducted by the Rwanda Tech Association (RTA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2013-2014. Based on the findings, 85% of respondents highlighted the skill gaps as a significant obstacle that hinders them from effectively doing their job. Therefore, the DigiCenter supported a study to identify existing ICT skills in the ecosystem, skill gaps and a roadmap to close these skill gaps. The findings are available in the training needs assessment report and free to anyone for further reference.

The Innovation of Smart Cities – Introducing an Inclusive City

The Innovation of Smart Cities – Introducing an Inclusive City

What comes to mind when you think Smart Cities? Usually, people would associate the term with modernization and technology taking over. Instead, Smart cities could be defined as the innovation of urban areas that use a variety of digital solutions to improve infrastructure, modernize government services and facilities, increase accessibility, drive sustainability, and accelerate economic development. 

Study Trips – How escaping familiar surroundings can improve learning

Study Trips – How escaping familiar surroundings can improve learning

Over the past few months, Digital Transformation Center has had the amazing opportunity to collaborate and support the travel of our partners to attend the Ghana Digital Innovation Week and a training organized by the Mashav Caramel Training Center in Israel. Both these trips were initiated and aimed at giving people insight on skills development and strengthening collaborations and partnerships with the different stakeholders outside of their familiar surroundings.

Achieving Information Access Equity Using AI in the Fight Against Corona

Achieving Information Access Equity Using AI in the Fight Against Corona

To address the spread of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries, BMZ together with partners from the EU Commission, other EU member states, tech-companies, and civil society, organized a hackathon dubbed the #SmartDevelopmentHack. Read here how one of the winning teams developed an AI Chatbot to fight the covid-19 pandemic in Rwanda.

Funding your startup: 5 Instruments you could explore in Rwanda

Funding your startup: 5 Instruments you could explore in Rwanda

Raising capital to finance the startup’s operations is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tasks of any founder. The challenge gets even bigger for African founders. According to The Better Africa: tracing success and failure of African startups report by the GreenTech Africa Foundation, more than 50% of African startups that shut down have never received any external funding. Furthermore, the majority of startups cannot scale their markets because of the scarcity of funding opportunities. In this article, we will explore the various instruments you could use to secure the required funding for your startup.

Promoting Digital Literacy through the Digital Ambassadors Program and the e-learning platform atingi

Promoting Digital Literacy through the Digital Ambassadors Program and the e-learning platform atingi

Digital Literacy is a corner stone to turn Rwanda into a digitized and knowledge-based economy in the upcoming decade. At the same time, not everyone has access to digital services yet or does not know how to use them. Therefore, GIZ supports the Government of Rwanda to promote digital literacy initiatives such as the Digital Ambassadors Program and the e-learning platform atingi.

Start A Factory Program – Effective and Sustainable Product Development

Start A Factory Program – Effective and Sustainable Product Development

Many engineers and startups have ideas that could change the world but lack the infrastructure to make them a reality. That is why the Start a Factory Program was created with the goal of assisting startups and young innovators to turn their visionary ideas into prototypes. This creates a perfect opportunity for the vital step from the first idea until a tangible prototype that is ready for industrial production.

How COVID-19 pushes new Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications

How COVID-19 pushes new Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications

Virtual and Augmented Reality has gained international attention due to the limitations of physical meetings imposed by COVID-19. More and more decision makers are recognizing the potential of this technology. Read in this article, how the DigiCenter supports the VR/AR community on the ground and local developers and applications in Rwanda.

DigiCenter through the years – Collaboration and partnerships for a greater good

DigiCenter through the years – Collaboration and partnerships for a greater good

Often, individual projects can make little difference due to limited reach and connections. In 2017, the Digital Transformation Center in Rwanda emerged as a pilot for collaboration between the Rwandan government and the private sector. Nowadays, 5 projects are part of the DigiCenter, and numerous Rwandan government agencies, innovation hubs, and tech startups are working with the DigiCenter. As we celebrate our 2-year anniversary, we look back at the DigiCenter’s journey.

DigiCenter Innovation Lab – Innovation happens when ideas create value

DigiCenter Innovation Lab – Innovation happens when ideas create value

A physical space where ideas based on Internet of Things technology can be tried out is a great support and financial relief for startups. This allows them to check for the time being whether an investment is worthwhile and to test and further develop prototypes with the necessary technology. For this purpose, DSSD has set up an Innovation Lab at the DigiCenter and has now opened its premises to interested entrepreneurs.

The Role played by Communities of Practice in the Tech-Ecosystem

The Role played by Communities of Practice in the Tech-Ecosystem

Our communities of practice are made up of individuals who are passionate about a certain topic and willing to share knowledge and exchange ideas with each other. Despite being unable to hold meet-ups for the past couple of months due to Covid-19, the groups remain active with information and opportunities; some even holding online meet-ups every now and then.

On the way to digitizing Rwanda – RISA’s 5-Year Strategy

On the way to digitizing Rwanda – RISA’s 5-Year Strategy

Digitizing entire sectors and turning Rwanda into a digital economy takes special attention to developing and implementing ICT policies. This mandate is held by RISA which is supporting the digitization efforts in all sectors like health, education and agriculture. Therefore, GIZ supports RISA in setting up a 5-year strategic plan to define its responsibilities and principles going forward.

Innovate Rwanda 2.0 – A whole new level

Innovate Rwanda 2.0 – A whole new level

Many companies and particularly startups face challenges due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now even important for these organizations to collaborate and get access to funding. With its new rollout, Innovate Rwanda comes with new features and sections which boost support for companies on the platform.

Working together to create an inclusive Tech-Ecosystem with the Digital Ecosystem Mapping Tool

Working together to create an inclusive Tech-Ecosystem with the Digital Ecosystem Mapping Tool

Startups in Rwanda often rely exclusively on personal networks to do business. Moreover, collaboration is limited and there is a risk of double efforts happening in the country. Raising funds is difficult, limiting startups in growing or surviving at the market. Read here how the Digital Ecosystem Mapping Tool can solve this issue serving as a directory and matchmaking platform for tech-companies and investors.

The WeCode Programme: Why teaching women in Rwanda how to code is crucial for the tech sector

The WeCode Programme: Why teaching women in Rwanda how to code is crucial for the tech sector

Women in ICT in Rwanda are still not as accepted and low in numbers compared to their male counterparts. In order to overcome the lack of access to quality training, gender bias from employers and the low representation of women in the tech sector, Moringa , GIZ and the Rwandan government have brought the initiative WeCode into life. In this blog article we want to tell the story of Delphine and Anna and many other women that received ICT trainings during the WeCode initiative giving them the chance to pursue their career in the tech sector.

Why telling failure stories as an entrepreneur is important

Why telling failure stories as an entrepreneur is important

As an entrepreneur, people take on responsibility for their communities and become role models for future entrepreneurs. For that purpose, the DigiCenter hosted a virtual meeting for interested community members to talk about failures and role models because these topics do often not get the necessary attention. However, every entrepreneur faces them at some point. So let’s talk about them!

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