Paula Ingabire

"We Need a Strong Internet in Our Daily Life."

"The efficient measures are needed to address internet usage gap in Africa."

"We are certain that improving broadband services in Rwanda will be a critical enabler of the social-economic development we seek, and that this progressive policy will directly contribute to the achievement of our national strategic goals."

"It is very important for us to learn from each other's best practices, to understand which threats are lurking, but also to understand how we can join expertise, resources and efforts to really combat the cybersecurity threats."

"In terms of challenges, you have different maturity levels in the digital landscape. Finding a one-size-fits-all set of strategies that will close the gap in different parts of the world may be quite a challenge."

"When you look at our national AI policy, you realise that 70 per cent of the policy is focused on skills. That was very intentional because we knew that, without the right skills, we would never be able to support the industry and its associated changes. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/11805/news/technology/ai-has-potential-to-create-jobs-with-higher-economic-value-says-ict-minister (24th October 2023)"

"There is lack of data in the country which makes it hard to have impactful decision making. We need to open up this to spur innovation towards development through impactful solutions and innovation. This initiative will enable us to host critical data for development however data protection will be very important especially with the new law on personal data protection"

"Commenting on the official launch, H.E. Paula Ingabire says “CcHUB’s expansion into Kigali, marked with the launch of the Design Lab today, is an exciting landmark for Rwanda’s burgeoning tech community. Rwanda is keen on collaborating with world-class partners to establish ourselves as a leading destination that nurtures innovation-driven enterprises.”"

"Rwanda aims to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, agriculture, and public services, Minister of ICT and Innovation."

"We will not be able to build homegrown solutions that respond to local challenges if we don't have a talented AI ecosystem, people that understand how to build these models, people that are able to leverage these tools and are out there to create the solutions."

"We’re excited about this partnership with the Gates Foundation around the AI Scaling Hub, designed to be a platform where we can scale AI solutions — starting with three sectors: health care, agriculture, and education."

"I think what I enjoy the most about tech is the cross-cutting, enabling role that it plays. In the early days, technology was viewed in isolation, as a standalone field."

"The technological advancements over the last few years have been quite impressive, and that’s really opened my eyes to the importance of building strong teams and systems."

"The most important thing is to find the right partnerships, and work together in finding solutions to these challenges."

"If we are really going to be as inclusive as we say we want to be with our strategies and policies, and the way we implement them, then we must make sure that our programmes are intentionally and deliberately designed that way."

"It’s important to us that the tools being developed in and for Rwanda must be designed by diverse teams to ensure that the solutions are a good fit for all target groups."

"Every company hopes that each individual can become a client."

"You cannot assume that the challenges are the same across the population."

"Women typically struggle to balance their careers and families, leading to a lot of them giving up their professional lives to take care of their families."

"Thinking about my professional career, I would say I’m lucky to have identified people who not only inspired me, but were willing to tell me the truth, and nudge me in the right direction."

"We need to start with the basics in making sure that everyone can access and benefit from these exciting promises that come with technology, but we also need to do this in a safe manner."

"So much is happening at once, and there’s a tendency to ‘float’ if you don’t reflect on your learnings; the ability to be able to transfer lessons to your next opportunity is key."

"Claiming your place is about being open to change and providing people with options for solving problems."

"If we want girls and women to build unicorns, they have to be able to build products that are global in nature."

"To all the young girls out there, having role models and access to opportunities is great, but will make no difference if you don’t believe in yourself."

"We want to be able to lead the way. We can't just put on a hat of regulations and policymaking. We also want to be able to experiment with the potential of AI across different fields of the public sector"

"AI can help transform the East African nation’s economy. By her department’s calculations, AI could contribute “at least 6%” to Rwanda’s GDP, Ingabire said at the World Economic Forum in January"

"This is not something we’re building just for the government,It’s for the private sector, academia, and entrepreneurs who can turn skills into thriving businesses.Our metrics will not be how many people we train. Our metrics will be how the industry is growing, and how resilient our systems are, it’s not just about defence. We are creating jobs, we are creating services, we are creating startups."