Through strategic partnerships and focused initiatives, the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation (RED) programme has made significant progress in promoting data-driven decision-making in the country. I sat down with our Partnerships and Country Lead, Arlette Rwakazina, to talk about some of the achievements and challenges of the programme to date. We also looked at the objectives as the programme moves into its second phase.

Natacha Umutoni: The RED programme has made tremendous progress in promoting data-driven practices across the Government of Rwanda. What are some of the successes and milestones that the programme has achieved?

Arlette Rwakazina: The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation programme has significantly promoted data-driven practices across the government. Some of the milestones achieved include the analysis of transaction data, which provided new insights into mobile money transactions and resulted in the creation of the financial inclusion dashboard at the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR). The programme was able to analyse agriculture data such as the Smart Nkunganire Subsidies (SNS) data, which influenced thinking around agricultural subsidies. We have been able to create multiple dashboards for institution, such as the Esoko dashboard for the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) to help it track food prices and control inflation. The programme acquired School Data Management System (SDMS) data for the education sector and has been able to provide data insights on student performance. Our fellows who were placed at the ministry, were able to clean and analyse the data that we presented to the ministers to inform their policies. Another major milestone has been gaining trust from our partners and being recommended to others. We have not only worked with institutions in our focus sectors but have been able to collaborate with other institutions such as the Ministry of Labour and Public Service (MIFOTRA) on analysing employment and skills rate in Rwanda.

Natacha Umutoni: Can you talk more about the objectives of the second phase, what new areas of impact is the programme working towards?

Arlette Rwakazina: The primary objective of the programme in this phase is to ensure sustainability and strengthen capacity in public and private institutions. This is to ensure that data-driven approaches are embraced across all sectors and data capabilities and that relevant structures are created in all institutions. We are doing this by working closely with MIFOTRA – contributing to the proposed labour force structure and recommending data skills and positions required for institutions to be data-centred. We are also involved in the development of a Policy Lab in the Government of Rwanda. In this phase, the programme is targeting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) especially those owned by the youth and women and outside Kigali.

Natacha Umutoni: What are some of the challenges that the programme has encountered over the past 3 years and how do you plan to address them?

Arlette Rwakazina: The main challenge encountered in the first phase was acquiring data from partner institutions. The concept of sharing data was not very common, and it would take around six to nine months to obtain data. The data ecosystem is in its early stages and many institutions have a low level of data maturity. We addressed this issue by getting top management buy-in and by analysing one set of data to build trust. Once the management were able to see what can be produced from that data, they gave us access to more data. We have also encouraged the process of sharing data within the government by driving the data sharing policy that is currently being discussed.

Another challenge we encountered is the capacity level of data professionals.

Natacha Umutoni: Capacity development is a big component of the programme, how do you plan to address capacity issues in this second phase?

Arlette Rwakazina: The first phase focused on individual capacity development through in person training and secondment of data fellows in institutions. As we transition in the second phase, we are exploring institutional-level data strategies and data governance programmes, ensuring there systems in place that allow individual and institutional growth and ensure that data is a key component of the core business. We are exploring collaboration with local data service providers to ensure that there is a sustainable data ecosystem that allows data teams to take work on data. For example, we were able to provide training and secondment to the National Bank of Rwanda data team and in turn they provided an environment where they are able to interact with data analysis, engineering, etc. This is what we are working to achieve with other institutions and sectors. We will also continue our placement of data fellows in the key partner institutions.

Natacha Umutoni: As a partnership lead, which partners do you think are crucial in promoting evidence-based decision making both in public and private sectors?

Arlette Rwakazina: Our efforts have primarily focused on core sectors such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM), the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI). However, we have identified significant datasets held by cross-cutting institutions like the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) that could provide valuable insights in terms of industry performance and trade indicators. By integrating data from MINICOM and RPPA, we can address key questions more comprehensively.

Additionally, data from the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) can offer a more holistic view. Collaboration with agencies linked to key ministries is essential. For example, while MINEDUC’s SDMS data is crucial, additional datasets are needed for a complete picture. In the tourism sector, where data is still limited, increased engagement with RDB, hotels, and other companies with occupancy data is necessary. Collaborating with the Rwanda Convention Bureau to analyse the impact of meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) can help create a pipeline to capture the state of the sector and strategise accordingly.

Natacha Umutoni: What are some of the ways the programme is supporting the GoR to achieve vision 2050?

Arlette Rwakazina: The programme is supporting the Government of Rwanda (GoR) in achieving Vision 2050 through initiatives like the scenario project. Using data on food security and employment, we have provided recommendations on adult education and nutrition. By presenting worst- and best-case scenarios, we have connected data from different sectors to paint a comprehensive picture of the current state and what is needed to reach future goals. Our efforts encourage policymakers to adopt a proactive rather than reactive approach, aligning with the long-term vision for Rwanda’s development.