Cenfri supports policymakers, regulators, development partners and market actors to harness data, AI and digital transformation in ways that contribute to welfare-enhancing outcomes. This is true across our portfolio but three workstreams focus specifically on strengthening the foundations required for data and digital technologies to create value for governments, businesses and citizens. These are:
The promise of open finance has led to a rapid proliferation in countries exploring implementation globally. However, it also comes with costs and risks — particularly as highly sensitive personal information is being made shareable. For African regulators and policymakers, open finance is an important emerging trend that requires a
Ghana’s tourism industry presents an exciting landscape for growth, offering significant potential for youth employment and entrepreneurship. However, an effective digital presence is a prerequisite for competitiveness in the global tourism sector and in Ghana, digital technology adoption among tourism operators remains nascent. Data and digital technology increasingly enable tourism
When Beatrice Nyirabahire gave birth in Rulindo, Rwanda, she could not find a good bowl of porridge that is usually given to mothers post-partum. Not because porridge was scarce, but because the quality simply was not there. The flour on offer was dusty, low-grade, and nutritionally untrustworthy. The kind of
Public-sector decision makers face a growing stream of AI proposals, each promising smarter services, stronger institutions or faster results. The first question is usually whether a proposed AI use case can solve the problem at hand. Often, the answer is simple: yes, it can. But that does not mean it
How Izere Services and Trading Ltd used discipline, compliance, and digital tools to graduate from a single Rwandan hotel’s backup supplier into a business ready to sell directly to consumers. For most business-to-business (B2B) suppliers, selling directly to individual consumers is not a natural next step. It requires a level
For as long as Rwanda’s Labour Force Survey has existed, someone has had to read a person’s description of their work, written in Kinyarwanda, and match it to a code. Not just any code, but the right line in the International Standard Industrial Classification, one out of thousands of possible
When Bella Twizerimana foreclosed on two houses during her time as a bank manager, she made a decision that would eventually reshape a corner of Musanze, Rwanda’s, economy. She couldn’t do it again. Watching people lose their homes through a system she was part of pushed her out of banking
Hawa Chloe Niyigena built a Rwandan juice company from scratch in her family’s kitchen but transitioning the business from survival to successful meant learning to trust data over instinct. For years, Niyigena believed passion fruit was the backbone of her juice business. It was consistently moving in high volumes, and
Rwanda’s public sector has, over time, built substantial digital systems across ministries and agencies. These systems generate large volumes of administrative and operational data. Yet the presence of data has not always translated into its effective use. Across institutions, a consistent gap emerged. Data existed, often in large quantities, but
Introduction Harnessing the transformative potential of AI for positive outcomes requires careful navigation by decision-makers. To support this process, Cenfri has developed an AI Implementation Framework to help public sector decision-makers in emerging economies assess how AI tools should be integrated, localised, governed, and safeguarded within their specific institutional contexts.
Across the world, countries are exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform public services, economic growth, and governance. Rwanda is no exception. At present, the country leverages AI models developed externally, including systems such as ChatGPT and other similar LLMs (large language models). There is growing ambition to develop locally built AI systems for national
