Saturday, April 2, 2011

Isn't skype great?

by Jason Benedict
RCE Strategist

April 1, 2010
Well today was my son Josh’s 7th birthday – I miss being with him – we will Skype this evening. I’m loving Skype in Rwanda – the connection speeds here are quite good for sub-Saharan Africa, and begin able to use a combination of Skype, email, SMS, cellphones, our website http://www.bdcrwanda.com/ and other communication technology here makes life easier. That is not to say that there are no challenges.


Yesterday the wireless internet was down in our offices, so we had to make do. Thankfully, today it is back up, and things are rolling again. I have had a long association with Africa, and I remember when the first cellular and internet providers came in 1994 to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire where we were living at the time. Things have progressed since then, and with all the freshly installed fiber optic cable here in Kigali, I think Rwanda is on the cusp of a high speed internet revolution.

Speaking of Cote d’Ivoire, I’m praying for my friends there. I heard that the forces backing Ouattara are now fighting in Abidjan. That country once had the 3rd largest economy in Africa, but periods of war and unrest have had a huge negative impact. This is such a poignant reminder of the importance of political stability in economic development. I would like to enlist your support in praying for our effort here and the continued stability of Rwanda.

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