Trends

Youth Working toward Bridging Rwanda’s Digital Divide in the Rwanda Digital Ambassador Program

RDAP1Over the coming four years, the Rwanda Digital Ambassador Program (Rwanda DAP) will mobilize 5,000 young leaders to transform the lives of millions of citizens through the acquisition of digital skills, adoption of e-services, driving inclusion and growth. Rwanda DAP is an initiative led by the Rwandan Ministry of Information Technology and Communication aimed at increasing the number of digitally literate citizens and their use of e-government and e-business services. Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) is the main implementing partner for Rwanda DAP’s Proof of Concept phase. In alignment with the Rwanda Digital Talent Policy and the World Economic Forum’s Internet for All Initiative, Rwanda DAP will increase Rwandans’ digital literacy, drive digital adoption, and help bridge the ICT skills gap.

 

The Rwanda DAP delivery approach is based on the proven DOT model of recruiting young women and men to provide digital literacy training and act as a catalysts of change in their communities. Digital Ambassadors are recruited from among young social innovators and are deployed in communities throughout the country in order to directly train citizens in accessing e-government and other digital and mobile services through the Rwanda Online Platform. By providing digital literacy training to members of their own communities, in local languages and focusing on locally relevant digital content and services, Rwanda DAP will demonstrate the full value of the Internet, which is what drives adoption. By extension, it will also enable citizens and business owners to benefit from newly installed broadband connections in their areas and catalyze mass adoption of e-government, e-business, m-agriculture, m-money, and other services, in line with the Rwanda Digital Talent Policy.

 

A key aim of Rwanda DAP is to also build the leadership capacity of the youth leaders – Digital Ambassadors – to act as catalysts of change in their communities. Digital Ambassadors will be supported to establish social enterprises as they continue to deliver digital-skills programs in their communities or develop other digitally enabled solutions that meet the local needs of
community members, employers, and business owners. Beyond accelerating Rwanda’s digital footprint, the program will deliver significant impact in terms of a strengthened framework for social innovation, community development, and economic growth.

 

Rwanda DAP will also contribute to bridging the gender digital divide by recruiting a significant number of female Digital Ambassadors and providing access to relevant services for women, who typically have low levels of digital literacy. Rwanda DAP’s work on women’s digital empowerment will support broader efforts to promote women’s digital inclusion that are being championed by the Government of Rwanda-led SmartGirl Initiative, the World Wide Web Foundation, the EQUALs coalition, and the World Economic Forum’s Internet for All initiative.

 

 Co-Written by Elizabeth Mengesha

 

eLearning Africa 2018

The eLearning Africa 2018 conference will be hosted in Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda on 26th – 28th September 2018.

4 Comments

  1. Hello! Also I need to know how much it will take to attended the conference. Thanks.

    • Annika Burgess

      dear Ogochukwu Emmanuel, please refer to our eLearning Africa website for all information about fees, contents, and all practical information.
      Here you can register to participate to eLearning Africa 2018: Registration and Fees

  2. Please what areas of e-learning can one expect to gain knowledge of in this conference at Rigali?

    Regards.

    • Annika Burgess

      Dear Ogochukwu Emmanuel, you can find here the full programme, now online, for this year’s conference. Hope to see you at Kigali!

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