Rinchi
TechInAfrica – As part of the effort to drive mobile internet adoption and boost digital literacy in Rwanda, local operators Airtel and MTN have joined the GSMA ‘We Care’ initiative. The initiative is a collaborative project between the operators, Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation, as well as the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA).
“I am glad to see the mobile operators, Airtel and MTN, coming together to work towards a common goal that will be beneficial to society,” said H.E Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation of Rwanda.
The Minister added, “Smartphones are important ICT tools that can be used to access key digital services: education and information, healthcare, financial services, amongst others. Increasing digital inclusion in Rwanda will, therefore, go a long way in empowering our citizens and we are looking forward to a sustainable collaboration.”
Commenting on the initiative, Akinwale Goodluck, Head of GSMA Sub-Saharan Africa said, “Today’s agreement marks an unprecedented collaborative action by Rwanda’s mobile industry to harness the power of the mobile internet to empower citizens and deliver on the promise of a ‘Digital Rwanda’. Digital skills are a prerequisite for people to get online and enhance their lives through digital services. Through We Care, Airtel and MTN are taking significant steps to accelerate digital inclusion across the country.”
As part of the initiative, both mobile operators will use the GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) to train sales agents and teach customers to access mobile internet services. The MISST has an easy-to-follow curriculum that enables trainers to demonstrate the use and value of internet on internet-enabled mobile phones. The curriculum includes several modules on Wikipedia, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Google.
The operators will teach 10,000 sales agents about techniques to educate their customers on the functional digital skills. On the other hands, the MISTT modules can be adapted and implemented based on local needs.
Source: biztechafrica.com
