Cenfri contributes to building the fundamentals of welfare-enhancing digital economies. We prioritise digital transformation that is inclusive, sustainable, opportunity-creating and has appropriate safeguards. Digital transformation underpins much of our work and ranges from payments digitalisation to digital economy diagnostics, and digital skills assessments to direct digitalisation support. Cenfri also collaborates with policymakers and other public and private sector stakeholders in data-driven decision-making that is calibrated to the data available and is designed to strengthen the existing skills and data governance processes within these organisations. The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme is our flagship evidence-informed policymaking and data-for-decisions intervention, but we have considerable experience in using evidence to generate insights and inform policymaking and business decision-making with a view to improved economic development outcomes. Our expertise in data, payments and digital identity enables us to contribute to current DPI (digital public infrastructure) conversations. |
When I travelled the windy road from Kigali to the Volcanoes National Park to hike up Mount Bisoke, I spent most of my time looking out the window in awe at the scenery. The countryside is plotted and pieced together by thousands of fields of different crops. It is not
The Government of Rwanda’s ambitious plan to become a cashless economy by 2024 has seen significant efforts and investments in the cashless and digitalisation agenda. These initiatives have led to the adoption of mobile money as one of the most popular financial transaction channels. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the value
COVID-19 turned some of us into virtual voyagers. We spent hours scrolling through posts of people hiking to waterfalls, adventurers crossing canopy walks, and families soaking up the sun on blue flag beaches. After one too many posts captioned “take me back”, we promised that if we ever get out
Open Finance can be defined as the sharing of consumer data between financial service providers (FSPs) and/or third-party providers on the basis of consumer consent. Improved use of data and effective data sharing can support a better functioning market by facilitating greater competition and enabling innovation within the financial sector.
Education is of fundamental importance to Rwanda’s economy; and the country has high policy priorities in providing access across the country. Primary and secondary education are free but there are other costs such as contributions to the school feeding programmes, books, etc. The education sector faces various challenges including low
Agriculture is the largest sector in the Rwandan economy, with 75% of the adult population generating their livelihoods from the sector. Its contribution to GDP and export earnings is substantial, accounting for 26% of Rwanda’s GDP value added in 2020. As part of the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, we conducted
In the past decade, the government of Rwanda has made significant investments in the tourism sector, positioning it as a vital driver of economic development and decentralization, catering to both domestic and international visitors. As part of the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, we conducted a landscaping study of the tourism
In implementing the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, Cenfri has worked with multiple stakeholders and partners to acquire datasets to inform policy that will improve the country’s digital economy. As the programme evolves, there is a growing appetite from policy and decision-makers for Cenfri’s data analysis. Our policy associate, Charles Semapondo,
Rwanda must be cashless by 2024 – that’s the bold target set in the National Payment System Strategy 2018-2024. This policy has strong empirical backing, with a whole range of literature that documents the benefits of digital financial services. Moving from cash to digital payments saves people travel and time
