UNESCO supports Rwanda Development Board on digital transformation

Established in 2008, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is now the reliable government institution for support on business, investment, tourism and skills development services.

Entrusted with the responsibility to accelerate Rwanda's economic development and to enable the private sector growth, RDB is constantly transforming itself to adapt to the digital age challenges. In this context, UNESCO partnered with RDB to identify the existing organizational gaps and to provide support through trainings.

What competencies do civil servants need for digital transformation? Published in 2022, UNESCO's Artificial intelligence and digital transformation: competencies for civil servantsframework answers this question and provides concrete recommendations. The framework outlines the major AI and digital transformation competencies needed in the public sector not only for technical aspects such as data use and governance, but also for digital planning, design, management and execution.

To align RDB's strategic planning with UNESCO's framework, contextualization workshops were held at the RDB Headquarters from 24 to 26 April 2024 for senior management representatives.

Prior to the trainings, more than one hundred RDB employees participated in an online survey to assess the digital literacy needs and the readiness of the Rwanda Development Board for digital transformation. The survey revealed Cybersecurity and AI Fundamentalsamong the digital competencies that participants would like RDB to develop further.

Following the survey, UNESCO partnered with The Lawyers Hub, a Pan-African digital, law, data governance and policy think tank based in Kenya, to deliver four online training sessions on:

• Privacy and Data Protection,
• Cybersecurity Fundamentals,
• Open Data and Open Government, and
• Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals.

Through a mix of engaging lectures, demonstrations and interactive activities, RDB employees gained exposure to these domains and witnessed their relevance to the African context.

"The level of complexity and uncertainty is so high that we try to cope mostly with short-term challenges." This was the option that most RDB employees selected when asked about their capacities on planning for the future. Coming closely on the second position was the option asking for help from foresight specialists on complex issues.

Taking into account these results, UNESCO embedded sessions on creating a culture of innovation, technology foresight, public service delivery and digital governance into the in-person training, which was provided by a senior expert in public sector digital transformation, Gianluca Misuraca.

RDB was the first government institution that UNESCO partnered with to strengthen capacities for digital transformation. After eight months of repetition, execution and evaluation, UNESCO is now expanding this support to more Member States.