The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Rwanda, together with government officials, development experts, technology leaders and entrepreneurs, organized a Social Good Summit event in Kigali, as part of the annual Social Good Summit conference held during the UN Week in New York. The event in Rwanda was held at KLab Telecom House on September 22nd.

The Social Good Summit - Kigali event aimed at investigating how key individuals in Rwanda are pioneering social efforts that will leave lasting impacts. The participants discussed how technology and social media can connect people and positively impact their lives. It also highlighted how social media, innovation and technology are being used in Rwanda to address a range of critical issues and improve lives.

Among the keynote speakers there were Jozef Maeriën UNFPA Representative, Ms. Corolyn Turk, World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda, Mr. John Kennedy Mazimpaka, a famous Rwandan actor currently on a tour of Rwanda to promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Ms. Angel Bisamaza, the New Product Development Manager at TIGO, and Mr. Patrick Kabagema, Chairman of the ICT Chamber and member of the Private Sector Federation (PSF).

Angel Bisamaza, the New Product Development Manager, TIGO, noted that it is important to develop technologies that are relevant, accessible and useful to the people who use them. “As we develop technologies, we need to process ideas to a certain level where they can be applied, considering relevance and viability. Flexibility and efficiency must be a norm if any technology is to be embraced and sustainably used,” she noted.

The Chairman of the ICT Chamber and member of the Private Sector Federation, Patrick Kabagema,  observed that there are still challenges in  connecting the rural areas, in spite of the fact that today about 1.1 million Rwandans can  access internet services. “But such a challenge is also an opportunity for the private sector to invest in rural development technologies”. Kabagema further noted  that young people, after facing  some ICT challenges, should not just  shy away but find ways of coming up with applications or other solutions that can further be developed  to gain international status.

While making his remarks on behalf of UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Josef Maerien, the UNFPA Country Representative, said that technology is changing communities’ values and ways of thinking. Innovators should work on creating a dynamic equilibrium between innovations and people’s changing ideals. Mr. Maerien noted that the youth should especially be encouraged to use new technologies to  improve lives through information sharing on  issues such as disease control, overcoming certain difficult situations and sharing development and entrepreneurial skills. Maerien added that it is important to encourage both boys and girls to embrace ICT education and application in the day-to-day life.

The Social Good Summit 2014 that was held on 22nd September in Rwanda came to an end with a call on key stakeholders in ICT and other technologies, young entrepreneurs and innovators to think and do more in creating applications and new products that benefit not only the city dwellers but the residents of rural areas as well, to help in accessing information, creating jobs and making the lives of all easier..

One of the participants, Mr. Ssennyon Saleh, a Web & Graphics Designer at TeaCom Ltd, said the summit was very beneficial to him. “I found it really informative and motivating. My question was about the challenge I face as a web developer, finding it hard in Rwanda to purchase online items that I need for my work. It was however noted that where banks have failed to provide viable solutions, telecom companies are providing swift relevant answers.”Saleh said.