Rwanda’s vision 2050 lays out the long-term strategic direction for “the Rwanda we want,” which includes economic growth, prosperity, and a high quality of life for Rwandans.

The vision anchors digital transformation as a central enabler towards achieving its objectives including access to high-quality broadband and achieving the living standards of an upper-middle income country by 2035 and high-income country by 2050.

The country’s broadband policy not only maintains efforts to expand broadband availability, but also increases affordability.

Different initiatives were put in place to achieve the goals. These include National Information Communication Infrastructure policies that evolved into the Smart Rwanda Master Plan (2015-2020), the National Broadband Policy (2013), the National Digital Talent Policy (2016), the National Cyber Security Policy (2015), the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), and the ICT sector Strategic plan (2017-2024), among others.

It is through these initiatives that Rwandan institutions are, for instance, benefitting from the satellite-based internet provided by billionaire Elon Musk's high-speed satellite internet venture, Starlink.

According to spending priorities under Rwanda’s 2023-2024 budget, ICT is at the forefront of the ongoing government effort to invest in Rwanda’s future, through the National Strategy for Transformation.

Rwanda aspires to be the leading ICT hub in Africa, exhibiting a culture of innovation. The country envisions having high usage and awareness of ICT in the society and ICT contributing a significant portion of the economy.

Internet connectivity is essential for Rwanda to become the continent’s ICT hub. The country has made major improvements in introducing high quality internet.

In 2018, 4G LTE coverage was more than 95 per cent of population nationwide; from 26 per cent in in 2015.

It was the first time there was such countrywide 4G network coverage on the African continent.

The 4G network coverage in Rwanda is estimated to amount 100 per cent in 2023; average 4G connection speed in the country is estimated at 24.72k kbit/s, while the 3G network coverage is estimated at 99.86 per cent.

The government has opted to transform Kigali, the capital city, into a preferred place for technology-based innovative projects.

Related: Rwanda: Transforming Kigali into a smart city to create a blueprint for urban innovation

Kigali is home to Norrsken, Africa’s biggest hub for entrepreneurship which hosts over 1,000 entrepreneurs and innovators.

The Global Financial Centers Index report published in September 2023, ranked Kigali the third among the top African countries for business and investment in the same year, for its increasing use of technology among other factors.

In August, Rwanda secured the fifth position in fintech startup funding across Africa, according to Afridigest's Fintech Transactions Database.

According to the 2023 Global Internet Speed Report, the country has made the biggest leap in fixed broadband speeds, making its position in the global rankings rise by 47 places.

This is largely attributed to the liberalization of the sector, which saw the east African nation grant 114 fixed broadband licenses to internet service providers.

Rwanda’s internet penetration stood at 60.6 per cent by the close of 2022, with its international bandwidth capacity rising by 29.4 per cent.

Today, broadband networks are widely available to most citizens across the country. Broadband Internet is helping connect rural and remote communities to a bright digital future.

Thanks to Irembo, an e-government platform which enables the access and provision of government services, people don’t have to travel more than 10, or 20, or 50 or 100 kilometers to make their tax declarations and then to the bank to make their payments.