Author: b_igi_adm1n

The World Bank Group Wednesday released its ambitious new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy aimed at helping developing countries use ICT to transform delivery of basic services, drive innovations and productivity gains, and improve competitiveness.

The strategy reflects rapid changes in the ICT sector over the last decade, including a dramatic increase in use of mobile phones and the Internet, plunging prices of computing and mobile internet devices, and the increasing prevalence of social media.

“Information and communication technologies can help reduce poverty, boost economic growth, and improve accountability and governance,” said World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte.

“The World Bank Group’s new strategy will help our client countries take advantage of the opportunities that ICT offers across all sectors of the economy, drawing on our unique expertise in public-private partnerships in the ICT sector.”

The new strategy for 2012-2015 builds on the Bank Group’s experience working with client countries on ICT sector reforms, infrastructure development, and electronic government.

Since 2000, Bank support for ICT sector reforms helped attract an estimated $30 billion in private investment for mobile network infrastructure in the least developed countries.

The IFC’s US$2.3Billion in telecommunications infrastructure investments and MIGA’s US$550Million in political risk guarantees also supported private investment in mobile service providers in difficult and high-risk environments.

Bank Group support for ICT applications has grown rapidly over the last decade, and over 70% of the 1,700 projects in the Bank’s active portfolio now have ICT components.

Since 2007, the Bank Group has intensified its support for public-private partnerships for broadband and high-speed Internet, helping bring down retail prices and increasing the take-up of services, in some instances by a factor of 10.

“The Strategy recognizes the vital role of the private sector in improving access to information infrastructure and services in developing countries,” said Rashad-Rudolf Kaldany, IFC Vice President for Global Industries.

He adds, “IFC works with the private sector as an advisor, financier, and standard setter, to help unlock the potential of ICT for development.”

Bank Group support will be directed to three priority areas;

Transformation: Making development more open and accountable, and improving service delivery– for instance, by facilitating citizen feedback to governments and service providers.

Connectivity: Scaling up affordable access to broadband – including for women, disabled citizens, disadvantaged communities, and people living in remote and rural areas.

Innovation: Developing competitive IT-based service industries and fostering ICT innovation across the economy – with a focus on job creation, especially for women and youth.

Wednesday afternoon, a coaster bus registration number RAB 084 Y was involved in an accident though nobody was hurt.

Maniraguha Ildephonse the bus driver said he was driving at a low speed of 12km per hour and this enabled him to safely bring the bus to a halt.

Lt.Col. Rugigana Ngabo has been sentenced to 9 years in Prison Today. Court has also orderd Lt.Col. Rugigana to pay a fine of Frw100,000 and acruing court case expenses.

However, Lt.Col. Rugigana immidiately appealed the sentencing.

However, when contacted, the RDF and Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita told IGIHE that prosecution will appeal saying the sentence was lighter compared to the gravity of the crime committed.

North Korea state television announced today (Wednesday) that the country’s young leader Kim Jong Un has married.

This announces confirms weeks of speculation and gossip that president Kim Jong Un and an unidentified woman(photo Above) had visited the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang.

However, State television announced the marriage although his new bride was not shown with him during the broadcast.

The woman shown in the photo above accompanied president Kim Jong Un at a recent concert and public tours.The North Korean announcer said Kim toured an amusement park with his wife, “comrade Ri Sol Ju.”

Kim Jong Un ascended to power in Pyongyang in December 2011.

He is the third in his family to rule the country, which was led by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, subsequently ruled North Korea until his death in 2011.

Kim Il Sung is still revered as North Korea’s eternal president.

The East African Community (EAC) partner states must speed up monetary union talks and conclude the negotiations by the end of 2012.

The talks have dragged on since early last year, according to Dr Enos Bukuku, the deputy secretary-general in charge of planning and infrastructure, and the 2012 target for concluding the Monetary Union Protocol cannot be deferred.

“All the partner states delegates should do their utmost to build consensus quickly so that the negotiations are concluded in time,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by EAC’s Director for Planning, Tharcisse Kadede, on Monday as the eighth round of the talks kicked off in Arusha. The talks started in January 2011.

“Use the latest round of negotiations to resolve outstanding issues and to move with greater speed to ensure an agreement is reached before the end of this year.”

The deputy secretary general asserted that the benefits of the Customs Union and the Common Market were too great to be trifled with and they were “more than ready” to embark on reducing the cost of doing business by attaining a monetary union.

He added,“I am, therefore, obliged to remind you that many East Africans within and beyond the region anxiously await any insights from this meeting on what needs to be done right to make monetary integration work for the EAC.”

The six-day meeting has been convened to discuss outstanding matters from previous meetings of the High Level Task Force (HLTF) negotiating the draft protocol and also to deliberate on Articles 60 – 72, which touch broadly on financial arrangements, integrated financial management system and transitional arrangements.

The draft articles up for discussion this week are particularly critical because they underpin the integration of the financial sector, which will be a key enabler of the monetary union.

The HLTF comprises senior officials from the partner states’ ministries of finance, planning and economic development and EAC affairs, as well as central banks, capital markets authorities, insurance and pensions regulatory agencies and national statistics offices.

Previous rounds of negotiations deliberated on provisions touching on the scope of the monetary union, the macroeconomic policy framework, monetary policy framework, exchange rate policy and exchange rate mechanism and instruments of monetary control.

The negotiations started in January 2011.

The process for the establishment of the East African Monetary Union is underpinned by Articles 5 and 82 of the EAC Treaty which require the partner states to undertake to establish a monetary union and to co-operate in monetary and fiscal matters.

The primary rationale for a monetary union is to reduce the costs and risks of transacting business across the national boundaries of those countries which comprise the union.

By embracing a single currency, EAC partner states would remove the costs of having to transact in different currencies and the risk of adverse exchange rate movements for traders and travellers alike within the region.
It is envisaged that the monetary union will deepen the integration of East African economies and enhance the benefits to be derived from the EAC Common Market.

To enrich the negotiations, the EAC commissioned various studies, which included a study on the review of the EAC macroeconomic convergence criteria and one on a harmonised monetary policy framework for the region, both done jointly by the EAC and the International Monetary Fund.

The draft final reports of both studies are due for review by the Sectoral Council on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) in September 2012 before they are forwarded to the HLTF.

Another study on a common exchange rate mechanism undertaken jointly with the International Growth Centre (IGC) has since been considered and adopted by the Sectoral Council on Finance and Economic Affairs and was forwarded to the HLTF as one of the inputs for the negotiation process.

The negotiating team, known as the High Level Task Force will, over the six-day period, discuss outstanding matters in Articles 1-59 of the draft EAMU Protocol and negotiate draft Articles 60-72.

The draft Protocol contains 86 Articles in total.

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister and Government Spokesperson has (Wednesday) expressed outrage at continued targeting of Rwandans in the DRC following the detention and torture of four Rwandans at Camp Katindo, a Congolese army facility.

Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said, “This is an extremely serious incident – we have confirmation that one of the tortured Rwandans has died. We have asked the Government of the DRC to ensure that the mistreatment of Rwandan citizens stops immediately”

Minister Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda had brought this case to the urgent attention of the Joint Verification Team and warned against the resurgence of hate speech.

“We have learned before that hate speech has consequences; that reckless political rhetoric costs lives. It is something our region must not be forced to endure again”

The defence for ex-Rwandan Planning Minister Augustin Ngirabatware Tuesday requested the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to reject prosecution’s arguments, allegedly linking him with crimes committed during 1994 genocide.

“The prosecution mischaracterized its own evidence and made allegations in their briefs which were not supported,” Lead Defence Counsel, Mylene Dimitri told a Trial Chamber presided by Judge William Hussein Sekule.

She was presenting closing arguments for the defence via video-link from Canada. She claimed that some prosecution’s testimony came from accomplice witnesses, who had material motives and their evidence, therefore, should not be taken at first value.

According to her, such witnesses lied and fabricated evidence against her client so that they could secure lesser sentences or be released from prison.

The counsel also lashed out at the prosecution’s submissions trying to make Ngirabatware responsible of crimes committed by Interahamwe.

She explained that the ex-minister has not been charged with superior responsibility.

Ngirabatware is facing charges of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide or in the alternative, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and extermination and rape as crimes against humanity.

The defence continues with its submissions on Wednesday.