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. |
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 clear understanding
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
Cenfri has deepened its work on CBDC amid growing interest from central banks Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) has emerged as a key consideration for many central banks across the world and has become a focal area of research for Cenfri over the past four years. Our insights have progressed
Fiacre Mushimire, Cenfri’s Policy Lead, answered some questions about the breadth of Cenfri’s work in Rwanda. How and when did Cenfri start work in Rwanda? Cenfri was founded in 2008 and first started working in Rwanda in 2014 when we evaluated an agricultural insurance pilot project for Access to Finance
Nothing illustrates the incredible power of data-driven decision-making more than the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Lamenting the disparities in genomic sequencing data from high versus lower-middle income countries, Professor Happi, from the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria, has talked about the pressure they experienced early
One of the reasons so much emphasis is placed on digitalisation is that people hope digital technology will solve common, but hereto unresolved, challenges. While these digital solutions can be exciting, unless executed properly, there is always the risk of widening the digital divide. To achieve meaningful and sustainable digitalisation
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered engines of economic growth and development, especially in developing economies, yet they continue to be disproportionately rejected from trade finance. However, there is evidence that this barrier is not impacting all SMEs the same: women owned SMEs are more likely to be rejected
The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme aims to support the Government of Rwanda in its vision of building an inclusive digital economy using data-driven policymaking. To support data-driven decision making through capacity building and development activities, Cenfri has welcomed eight data science interns to the team. These interns will spend the
Data is a powerful enabler of innovation: It helps financial service providers (FSPs) to better understand and serve consumers, as well as improve how they manage their own risks and business models. Data can also bestow market power. Key market players, such as large banks can wield the extensive client
A scoping study of five African countries Access to basic services –education, energy, health – is an important socio-economic development goal and directly relevant to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, socio-economic challenges, infrastructure concerns and fiscal constraints still undermine many developing countries’ attempts to provide quality services
In our previous article, Can digital platforms transform first mile food logistics in Africa?, we discussed the importance of the agricultural sector to food security, income and employment in Africa as well as some of the challenges the sector faces in efficiently coordinating. We also introduced the role digital logistics platforms can potentially play in improving
