KIGALI, December 4 2025 (UNICEF) — Rwanda is proving that the Giga Initiative can catalyze reduction in the cost of the internet in schools and contribute to ensuring inclusive access to digital learning opportunities. By mapping schools, modeling connectivity standards for schools and using real-time monitoring tools like Giga Meter, Rwanda is leading the way in commitment to leveraging the power of technology to achieve transformative educational outcomes..
Launched in 2019, the pilot brought together Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT, the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), UNICEF Rwanda, and Giga—a joint initiative of UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Together, they connected 63 schools, including 13 that have enrolled refugee students from surrounding refugee camps.
At the outset, most schools relied on mobile-based 3G/4G connections, delivering up to 5 Mbps, with high per-megabit costs and limited utility for digital education. Giga’s model aggregated demand across multiple schools in Bugesera district, enabling providers to shift to fixed wireless technology and fibre optics in some locations, an approach that justified infrastructure investment and allowed for better service at significantly lower cost.
Each school in the pilot received at least 25 Mbps – scalable to 100 Mbps – and devices were supplied by the government and development partners to support a full digital learning ecosystem.
The result? Average internet costs dropped from roughly US$ 20 per Mbps to US$ 9 a month, a 55 per cent reduction. By installing and connecting to fixed infrastructure, connection speeds more than quadrupled.
“The pilot showed that the application of UNICEF’s procurement approach is a powerful way to engage with the private sector and obtain more affordable prices for school connectivity,” said Denis Mupenzi, Supply Specialist from UNICEF Rwanda.
“Meanwhile, the installation of a fixed wireless solution helped bring the internet connections up to meaningful speeds.”
Giga’s real-time map then helped to show any places where internet speeds were dropping and ensured that contracts between government and supplier remained on track.
Benefits Of School Connectivity
Rwanda sees its digital transformation as an important driver of both jobs and economic opportunity. This is evident in a partnership with Airtel, which has led to the connection of 20 youth centres and 281 schools, where – at zero cost – young people can access online courses to develop their digital skills. UNICEF Rwanda has partnered with the two service providers in the country to whitelist the e-learning sites for continued learning in and out of schools.
For the schools too, connection to the internet has made a range of education materials more accessible.
UNICEF’s Rwanda country office highlights that translating school connectivity into higher quality education also requires the supply of devices, content, and teacher training. When these elements come together, the impacts can be transformational, demonstrating how harnessing technology can fundamentally change and enhance the work of teaching.
“Take Nshuti, a teacher in a remote school, who can now show the things that once he could only talk about,” says Steve Nzaramba, Communications Specialist in UNICEF’s Rwanda country office. “By using the internet, he now demonstrates to his students different impacts of extreme weather, for example, like floods, and landslides – and this engages his students more effectively.”
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