 Mr. Chairman, Your Excellencies, Heads of Delegations, IT Elected Officials, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Rwandan delegation, allow me to first express our gratitude and congratulations to the Government of UAE for hosting this important conference. We recognize the warm welcome and facilitation rendered to us for a perfect stay and convenient environment here in the beautiful city of Dubai. Mr. Chairman, let me say at the outset that Rwanda has always been a strong believer in the transformative potential of ICTs and broadband in particular. There is a global shift towards a knowledge-based economy. Broadband offers us the opportunity to leap forward and skip the agrarian industrial revolutions. In this sense, broadband is an infrastructure of the future in much the same way that roads and railways were for earlier periods. The recent joint venture that our government, the Government of Rwanda, has entered into with the Korean telecom that aims to build a nationwide 4G LTE network that will cover 95% of the country in three years is an example to illustrate this broadband as a utility concept. It is also clear that the 21st century economies will be characterized by greater innovations and creativity. Both are knowledge intensive and broadband thrives on these two and drives them. In Rwanda, like in other parts of Africa, there are increasing opportunities from knowledge intensive sectors like banks, media, education, etc., that are growing very fast. Even other sectors like health, agriculture and services are increasingly IT dependent. These are also areas with great potential to create jobs, especially for the youth. Our experience has shown that broadband is both the generator and delivery system of the skills required for this new age. Drivers of the 21st century economies are not simply labour, but highly skilled individuals or knowledge workers. In this sense, broadband may be seen as a new factor of production in this age, one that supplements the traditional factors of production. I should also add that the digital economy is eco-friendly, an important consideration when we are grappling with the effects of global warming and climate change. The way forward should be that our country's economies integrate. We should also think of integration in terms of broadband uptake and usage, so that ICTs continue to play a significant role in putting this world we live in on a more sustainable path. Finally, allow me to conclude by recognizing the visionary leadership of Dr. Hamadun Ture, the synergy-improven commitment of the three ITU sectors for the transformation of all aspects of society and economy using ICTs as a key pillar for development. We appreciate the approach and the role of the director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, Mr. San Ubrahima, in accompanying developing countries to accelerate the transformation into information and knowledge-based society. I thank you for your kind attention.