Rwandan tech ambitions hit by corruption charges

A contact who has travels to Rwanda fairly often and has been impressed by the country's investment in IT infrastructure over recent years, just sent me a rather worrying/amusing link.

The country has ambitions to become the "Singapore of Africa" and plans to develop its broadband network to a level that will attract outside investors and foreign companies to take it seriously.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1017/p01s02-woaf.html

However, becoming an "IT Hub" is more than just about putting cables in the ground as the Indian Satyam scandal showed.

It seems that The Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Rwandan Ministry of Education was arrested recently for asking for a bribe from a potential supplier to the government. If that wasn't bad enough - it seems said civil servant has now done a bunk from police custody.

Read the whole sorry tale here: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=13728&article=11208