Rwanda invests 300 billion Rwf in towers: A solution to Internet issues

The Minister of Technology and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, announced that Rwanda needs over 2,500 additional towers on top of existing ones to ensure 100% Internet coverage across the country.

She explained that Rwanda plans to build 720 to 800 new towers to increase Internet coverage from 83% to 97%, requiring more than $300 million.

Minister Ingabire made these remarks while responding to questions from Members of Parliament regarding challenges in providing digital services to citizens.

The Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Sheikh Mussa Fazil Harerimana, highlighted nine main problems affecting citizens, including areas without Internet, low network strength in some regions, limited capacity of IT systems in agriculture, education, healthcare, and tax collection, reliance on fast Internet for land management systems in regions without adequate connectivity, system downtimes preventing citizens from accessing services, inaccurate civil registration data, inconsistencies across platforms like Irembo, and network coverage issues in border areas.

Currently, Internet coverage in Rwanda reaches 83%, leaving 17% of the population, mostly in rural or uninhabited areas, without access.

Rwanda currently has 1,781 communication towers supporting Internet and fiber optic networks covering 24,949 kilometers.

Minister Ingabire noted, “We are assessing the gaps, especially in hard-to-reach areas, to determine the requirements for achieving 100% coverage. Some towers are on hills where the signal doesn’t reach valleys.”

It was determined that 2,500 additional towers are required, though she did not explain why this number is needed to cover the remaining 17% when 1,781 towers already cover 83%. Rwanda aims first to reach 97% coverage, requiring 720 to 800 towers.

Telecom companies in Rwanda are required to participate in building towers for 10–15 years after receiving licenses. Currently, telecom companies are expected to contribute to building at least 220 towers, while the government plans to construct another 500 towers.

A fund exists where telecom companies contribute 4% of annual revenue to support infrastructure in unprofitable areas. Over the past five years, 233 towers have been built from this fund, and construction will continue.

Building one tower costs approximately $150,000, so the 500 new towers will require around $300 million. Minister Ingabire noted that, if funding is available, the money could be raised within three years, depending on national resources.

Rwanda has also started using satellites to provide Internet in schools where building towers or laying fiber optic cables is difficult.

Improving system reliability and service delivery

Minister Ingabire stated that monitoring systems have been established to detect and resolve service interruptions. A project called “Mbaza” allows citizens to report issues with government systems.

The Irembo platform now collaborates with service providers to address reported problems within one hour.

For civil registration, the new digital ID system will consolidate personal data, allowing faster and easier access to services. A Single Source of Truth (SDID) is being created as the main repository for personal data, with Irembo continuing to expand its services.

The Zero Trip Zero Paper initiative aims to deliver services digitally without requiring physical paperwork. Currently, Irembo provides over 240 government services, serving over 3,000 staff and handling payments exceeding $300,000 per day, with 45% of users paying digitally. Service times have been reduced by 80%.

Only 3% of Rwanda’s 264 government websites offer Kinyarwanda content, created in collaboration with RISA.

Addressing border network issues

Annual assessments ensure the quality of mobile digital services. Coordination with neighboring countries helps resolve cross-border network problems.

In June 2025, MINICT, RURA, RISA, RBA, and telecom operators conducted border inspections, reinforcing existing towers and planning new ones.

Minister Ingabire emphasized the need to continue expanding infrastructure to improve Internet coverage while ensuring citizens can use it effectively.