GOVERNMENT
| July 27, 2011, 9:17 a.m.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) through a joint partnership with KOICA volunteers, has launched a digital Library website that will be used in all the 30 Business Development Services centres (BDS- also known as multi-purpose telecentres) around the country.
Officiating at the launch, the RDB Chief Operating Officer, Clare Akamanzi said: “With the telecentres located in every district of the country, it is suitable to use these existing assets for promoting and undertaking this project of introducing a Digital Library”.
This project was introduced by KOICA Volunteers in collaboration with staff in RDB (Assets and Business Management Department) as a result of the close cooperation existing between the two countries in terms of developing Rwanda through ICT.
Telecentres will be equipped with tablet PCs as a medium of accessing information. The tablet PCs will also facilitate the development of digital content and encourage creating other digital platforms. This can be accessed on the Internet on a domain controlled by RDB together with KOICA Volunteers.
To promote digital content in Rwanda, a beta Digital Library website will be created. It will allow students to read newspapers and books related to their interests or fields of study.
There will also be a bulletin board allowing students to share lecture notes from colleges across Rwanda and an Open Contents Platform where users can create custom-made applications. This will facilitate other areas such as promotion of online businesses using the digital library.
The digital library project is expected to impact the development of a “knowledge-based economy” in Rwanda as these digital platforms that will be introduced across the country. These multi-purpose Telecenters are strategically placed where people, especially in rural areas, can gain access to information and learn how to use the internet.
