The metaverse is a virtual space where real-life events can be simulated for increased productivity or entertainment. As an innovation gaining decent attention recently, its applications seem to be fast covering different aspects of real life. Most use cases of the metaverse are brand and recreational/social-centered, however, Rwanda is looking to explore further by bringing education into the metaverse.
At the World Economic Forum 2023 Paula Ingabire, Minister of Tech and innovation for Rwanda, highlighting areas Rwanda is particularly interested in the metaverse said education is one of them. Aside from education, the country is also considering tourism and creative industries.
“There are particular industries that we are already mapping out, tourism, creative, and education industries; how do you provide hands-on skills where people can simulate and learn before they can get into the real world? These are particular industries and use cases we are already mapping out and figuring out what’s important,” she said.
Healthcare-related education could go big for Rwanda and largely Africa, leading to a more targeted and precise medical intervention, the minister mentioned. She affirmed seeing a lot of potential in Africa looking at the population made up of majorly youths.
Exploring the creative industry is a potential area for Rwanda, the Minister said “the creative industry has a lot of potential in terms of how it can transform and also in how it can create value for many of the youths”.
The minister also expressed concern for policies that will facilitate the use of the metaverse. She is of the opinion that Data availability and collection is a critical point and privacy laws around them are very important. If you’re going to simulate some of these experiences, then privacy laws around them are important, she said.
She referred to the metaverse as a “perfect” use case when a country partners and deploys 5G. As a country she mentioned that they are putting in place policies that will enable deploying 5G infrastructure.
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