Rwanda advocates for stronger local infrastructure to drive digital economy ambitions
Date: 2026-03-28
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
Rwanda’s
Minister of State at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Yves Iradukunda, has
underscored the importance of strengthening local digital infrastructure and
interconnection to support the country’s long-term digital economy goals under
Vision 2050.
Speaking
on the need for a more resilient and self-reliant digital ecosystem, Iradukunda
noted that Rwanda continues to depend on external networks to carry a
significant portion of its internet traffic, a situation he described as
unsustainable. He emphasized that achieving a robust digital future will
require deliberate efforts to localize traffic through enhanced collaboration,
strategic investment, and the development of domestic infrastructure.
He
highlighted key priority areas including expanding data centre capacity,
promoting local cloud solutions, and aligning policy frameworks to support
critical sectors such as financial services, e-government, education, and
healthcare.
According
to the Minister, building a resilient digital economy is central to Rwanda’s
broader development agenda, adding that stronger local interconnection will not
only reduce costs but also improve efficiency, security, and service delivery
across the digital ecosystem.
He
reiterated that collaboration among stakeholders, combined with sustained
investment in local infrastructure, will be essential in ensuring Rwanda’s
digital transformation is inclusive, future-ready, and capable of supporting
national development objectives.
