In partnership with
The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme is a six-year digital transformation initiative by the Government of Rwanda, the Mastercard Foundation and Cenfri. The programme works with 71point4 and policymakers to develop evidence-based and inclusive policies to reduce poverty and digitise the Rwandan economy.
For more information on this programme, download the brochure or email either the Director General of Innovation and Emerging Technologies at MINICT at ekunda@minict.gov.rw or Cenfri Rwanda’s Country and Partnerships Policy Lead at Arlette@cenfri.org.
Agriculture plays a major role in the Rwandan economy: close to 75% of the population’s livelihood depends on farming. However, the majority of these farmers do not sell their produce. The high rate of subsistence farming is a symptom of structural challenges rural farmers face in accessing markets. In its
Cenfri is supporting staff from public institutions in Rwanda with tailored training to boost their capabilities in data analysis and is training policymakers in interpreting and applying data for policy. This training and capacity-building is a core objective of the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, which Cenfri is implementing in partnership with
Data is the fuel on which the information economy runs; it has allowed businesses like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and others to grow exponentially by providing their customers with customized content and tailored services. Many companies now use data analytics and its derivatives, machine learning and AI, to understand their
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
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
Historically, low-income consumers in emerging economies often perceive banking services as too expensive. As a result, these consumers opt out of using formal financial services, preferring informal alternatives instead. However, we have seen an increasing proportion of lower-income consumers opening financial accounts through mobile money operators. This more diverse pool
Kigali, Rwanda, 2 June 2021: Today, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda, Cenfri, and the Mastercard Foundation have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to kick-off an ambitious three-year digital transformation programme in Rwanda aiming at harnessing Rwanda’s big data to enhance the Government’s digital capabilities and systems. Building
For the past year, Cenfri and Finmark Trust have been partnering with NextBillion to share insights from their Insight2Impact (i2i) initiative, a five-year program that has sought to improve financial inclusion and related public policies through the smarter use of data. Their Openi2i Series has explored key learning areas from the program, ranging from program design and stakeholder engagement to digital skills development and innovation
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying containment and mitigation measures have affected and disrupted the operations of industries around the globe. This report explores the impact of COVID-19 on the Rwanda insurance sector Rwanda was the first African country to implement a national lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Lockdown measures included the closure and suspension
Agriculture plays a major role in the Rwandan economy: close to 75% of the population’s livelihood depends on farming. However, the majority of these farmers do not sell their produce. The high rate of subsistence farming is a symptom of structural challenges rural farmers face in accessing markets. In its
Cenfri is supporting staff from public institutions in Rwanda with tailored training to boost their capabilities in data analysis and is training policymakers in interpreting and applying data for policy. This training and capacity-building is a core objective of the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, which Cenfri is implementing in partnership with
Data is the fuel on which the information economy runs; it has allowed businesses like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and others to grow exponentially by providing their customers with customized content and tailored services. Many companies now use data analytics and its derivatives, machine learning and AI, to understand their
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
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
Historically, low-income consumers in emerging economies often perceive banking services as too expensive. As a result, these consumers opt out of using formal financial services, preferring informal alternatives instead. However, we have seen an increasing proportion of lower-income consumers opening financial accounts through mobile money operators. This more diverse pool
Kigali, Rwanda, 2 June 2021: Today, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda, Cenfri, and the Mastercard Foundation have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to kick-off an ambitious three-year digital transformation programme in Rwanda aiming at harnessing Rwanda’s big data to enhance the Government’s digital capabilities and systems. Building
For the past year, Cenfri and Finmark Trust have been partnering with NextBillion to share insights from their Insight2Impact (i2i) initiative, a five-year program that has sought to improve financial inclusion and related public policies through the smarter use of data. Their Openi2i Series has explored key learning areas from the program, ranging from program design and stakeholder engagement to digital skills development and innovation
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying containment and mitigation measures have affected and disrupted the operations of industries around the globe. This report explores the impact of COVID-19 on the Rwanda insurance sector Rwanda was the first African country to implement a national lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Lockdown measures included the closure and suspension
